The Fall of the Horde
by WolfPaladin
Summary: Alternate storyline, detailing a Horde Offensive against the Alliance. Will they succeed? Set after the defeat and death of Deathwing. Highly non-canon, military history style. Full description inside. Read and review?
1. Part I  Chapter 1

**Fall of the Horde**

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This is a fictionalised account of the fall of the Horde faction. I, for one, am sick and tired of the so-called "balance" that Blizzard maintains in Azeroth's Politics and Conflict. Well, here's a different outlook on the War - of what could (and can) happen in Azeroth in this conflict - realistically._

_Also do note that I'm not anti-Horde or pro-Alliance. In fact, after this one, I will be writing of the Fall of the Alliance as well._

_And to those who are following my previous projects, such as **The Chargesheet of Arthas Menethil** and **Waiting for Nightfall**, I apologise, but they are temporarily on hiatus due to an embarrasing case of Writer's Block (=.=). Once I'm finished with this one, I'll resume writing them._

_This story is set immediately after the fall of Deathwing. Pandaria is NOT discovered, and no reference will be made of it._

_I've made the disclaimers and therefore, I will start._

_Oh and one last thing...I don't own World of Warcraft (just as well, for if I did, I'd have deleted Wrynn and Garrosh faster than you can say "Snap" and made Deathwing wear pink armor)._

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><p><strong>Part I :- The state of Azeroth<strong>

**_Chapter 1_**

To be fair, no one could have calculated the ramifications of Deathwing's demise. That the Aspect of Death, who had plagued this world for Ten Thousand Years could fall to mere mortals was still a remarkable feat. While none deny it's benefits, it was to change the face of Azeroth forever. And not all of it would be pleasant.

Hitherto, the Alliance and Horde had been in a continuous conflict since the end of the Third War, but it had always been localized and isolated. It was more in the style of Guerrilla Warfare, with small bands of mercenaries (_euphemistically termed "Adventurers"_) striking each others posts, and occasionally raiding the capitals of the factions. And only in times of dire crisis had the factions put aside their differences to face a common enemy.

Now, the last great common enemy, Deathwing, was dead. The Old Gods were sealed away, for no one knew how many millennia. The Burning Legion was in disarray and defeat, stuck forever in Outland. All the Dragon Aspects had surrendered their powers, to an Orc Shaman who would, in all probability, not live for long, considering the weight of the burden he carried, and his age. So who was the common enemy now?

**Quite clearly - none.** And this afforded the exercising of that age-old concept of politics : **There are no Friends or Enemies, There are only Permanent Interests.**

However much the leaders in the Alliance and Horde talked about peace, they were no fools. They knew that mutual coexistence was a lie - an impossibility, when one considered the fractious relations they had since the formation of either faction.

And none knew it better than the Warchief of the New Horde, Garrosh Hellscream.

The Mag'Har Orc had always been hot-headed and impetuous. And after Deathwing's demise, a great ambition rose within the Horde. Particularly after the installation of Go'El as the World-Mender. Instantly into the minds of the Horde rushed the myth of Orcish Invincibility - if they could beat the Death Bringer, what had they to fear from the ones he had humbled? They would sweep away all who stood before them.

As such, not one month had passed after the Fall of the Black Aspect when a Conference was called in Thunder Bluff by Hellscream. In this conference, the plans were put forward -_ to finally decimate and destroy the Alliance, so that the Horde could truly take what they felt was rightfully theirs._ The Orcs wanted all of Kalimdor, the Undead wanted all of Old Lordaeron. The Trolls wanted their Ancestral Home of Stranglethorn Vale. Only the Tauren and the Blood Elves had no specific demands - indeed, they were almost averse to the idea of a conflict, but presumably did not speak up for fear of denouncement from the others. The Goblins were primarily there as support for the Orcs, agreeing to whatever they said. As such, it was decided to allocate the Horde forces to accomplish these major objectives, and subsequently destroy the heart of the Alliance - Stormwind. It was on deciding which course to be assaulted first that raised trouble during the Conference.

It is interesting to note the Horde Command structure as such. Most of the Horde was highly diverse, with little or no common factor save for their respect for Thrall and his vision. Each leader had his or her own personal biases, jealousies and hatreds. Vol'Jin hated Garrosh, Lor'Themar despised all Trolls by default and Vol'jin in particular and mistrusted Gallywix, Sylvanas was not on talking terms with Garrosh and Baine. There were other factors as well, none of prime importance, but irritants nonetheless.

This resulted in a Geodesic shape of command, with all holding loyalty only to the Ideal of the Horde (_or claiming to_) and out of respect for Thrall. As long as there was relative stability, this was no issue, but under strain, cracks came to the fore, which more often than not, threatened the unity of the Horde more than Garrosh would care to admit. And if one wanted to consider the hard core of the Horde, it still was overwhelmingly Orcish or Trollish. The others were still just peripherals to the Horde, important but still nothing more than proxies - such was the reality of the Horde command as it stood at the time.

It was evident that the Undead and the Blood Elves would take the path they considered safest, and it would not necessarily be the path of the Horde. Only the Tauren and Goblin loyalties could be considered rock solid, the Tauren because of their indebtedness to the Orcs for the creation of Thunder Bluff, and the Goblins for salvation during the Cataclysm.

These factors combined to create certain constraints on the shape of the plan, tentatively called The Durotan Offensive. It was to also shape the course of events and eventually lead to an outcome that would stun all of Azeroth. Though this was expected when the Conference was being conducted, none of the leaders could guess the changes it would bring about in the coming months, nor it's implications for them and their people.

The Conference initially decided that the leaders for the Horde Armies would be Lord Varok Saurfang (_promoted as such to High Overlord of the Horde_) for the fight in Kalimdor, and Ranger-Commander Halduron Brightwing for the Eastern Kingdoms (_promoted subsequently to Ranger-General - the very title Sylvanas had held when she lived_). A Bilgewater Trade Princess called Mida was appointed for overseeing the logistics side of the Plan, while Sylvanas and her Forsaken Troops were put in reserve.

The last point deserves special attention. The Forsaken resented their role as reservists, and Sylvanas made her distaste very clear. She was heavily rebuked by nearly every leader, citing the poor performance of her soldiers in the Gilneas Conflict, which had caused horrendous casualties for the Horde Navy, in addition to the loss of Southern Silverpine and the unauthorised use of the New Plague in Hillsbrad Foothills. As such, no one was willing to trust the Forsaken Army with a major offensive in the near future, and hence were subordinated to the Blood Elven militaries. Sylvanas raged that it was her troops who solely responsible for the denial of the Alterac and the Arathi regions to the Alliance, and that therefore, she deserved the command more than the Blood Elves. And after several arguments, she eventually did receive the command, having bullied the other leaders into obedience with her tantrums. It was to prove a fatal mistake.

As such, the final outline of the plan was as follows -  
><strong>1. Primary Objectives were the<strong>,  
><em>a) Capture of the Lordaeron Continent and containmentdestruction of all Alliance forces in the region._  
><em>b) Capture and (if possible) destruction of Ironforge and Stormwind.<em>  
><em>c) ContainmentDestruction of Night Elven armies in Feralas, Ashenvale and Darkshore._  
><em>d) Capture and (if possible) destruction of Teldrassil and the Exodar.<em>

**2. Secondary Objectives were the,**  
><em>a) Pacification of Gilneas.<em>  
><em>b) Capture and control of Stranglethorn Vale.<em>  
><em>c) Capture and control of the Stonetalon Mountain region.<em>

**3. Commanders appointed,**  
><em>a) High Overlord of the Horde Armies Varok Saurfang for the Kalimdor Offensive (hereafter referred to as<strong> KO<strong>)._  
><em>b) Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner for the Eastern Kingdoms Expeditionary Forces (hereafter referred to as the <strong>EKEF<strong>)._  
><em>c) Trade Princess Mida for logistics for both Offensives.<em>  
><em>d) Chieftain Baine Bloodhoof as reserves commander.<em>

The majority of the TKO comprised Orcs and Trolls, while the EKEF comprised mostly Forsaken. There were only a few Blood Elven units, in particular a large Division-sized contingent of Blood Knights under Knight-Lord Bloodvalor and a single Farstriders Division under Ranger-Commander Neriah Dawnchaser. There are many reasons given for this lack of Blood Elven army units and fierce criticism, but it may simply have been because they were unwilling to fight alongside the Horde in full force, the memories of Silvermoon's destruction holding them back considerably from deploying too many of their somewhat meagre forces into a war that promised to be very blood-soaked.

As such, the EKEF was relatively smaller than the KO, though in essentials there was little or no difference in formations deployed. The Frostwolves, in particular, had been deployed in the Eastern Kingdoms for a long time, and were simply attached to the EKEF, though from reports recovered from that time, the decision was hardly congenial for the Clan, whose leader Drek'Thar was in failing health.

However, the lack of Blood Elves was wholly made up for with the presence of the Horde Air Force, which comprised solely of Blood Elves. However, this organisation, recently formed as a result of pressures in Northrend and from battle-hardened fighters from Outland demanding air support, was quite small with just some one thousand fighters overall. They depended primarily on Dragonhawks, and the Wyverns were few in number. Most of the fighters were either Rangers or Mages, or an occasional Warlock. It had little long-range capacity and was inefficient in long drawn-out battles, but was powerful in it's own right. Most were deployed with the EKEF, though a few hundred were sent to Kalimdor.

In all, the Horde Armies comprised some 25 Divisions, with 14 of them in Kalimdor and 11 in the Eastern Kingdoms. Of these, there were just 4 Divisions with any sort of Siege equipment, and three were in the Eastern Kingdoms under the Forsaken. Only one Division, the Third Siege Division under Warcaller Gorlach was present in Kalimdor, the assumption being that there would be little in the way of fortifications to seige in the battles for Kalimdor. This was to be challenged severely in the coming months.

The Horde Navy depended mostly on Forsaken and Orcish ships, the latter being of very poor quality. The Zeppelins were also in use, but the risks involved in operating them precluded extensive deployment, though in subsequent months of the fighting, they would be the mainstay of the Horde Navy until the end of the war.

Such was the state of the Horde just prior to the outbreak of total war. While less powerful in terms of technology, they had the advantage of stronger fighters and logistics. It's effectiveness was to be put to the real test in the battles that followed.


	2. Part I  Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

The Alliance was in quite a weakened state after the fall of Deathwing. Several areas had been badly ravaged when the dragon had flown over, with his violent breath simply shattering several regions beyond all recognition. The fight against this one had taken quite a toll on both the military and the civilian populace alike, particularly since the economy of the Alliance was in shaky health due to the strain of the conflict. In addtion, the deployment of Alliance Troops in Kalimdor had drained the Alliance a great deal, since they had little to show for months of fighting.

To be honest, the deployment could not have been more foolish. King Wrynn had been aware of the risks involved, but had either underestimated the ferocity of the Horde or overestimated the competence of his soldiers, many people believed. In reality it was a bit of both and some other factors as well, particularly the feasibility of sending a mostly Human and Dwarven Task Force into Kalimdor, the climate of which was harsh even to it's inhabitants, to say nothing of tht visitors.

The commanders for each region were as illustrious as could be. General Shandris Feathermoon commanded most of the Night Elven Army, with Archdruid Stormrage controlling the Druid Dens. For the Draenei, there was the Triumvirate of the Hand of Argus - Boros, Kuros and Aesom, as well as Exarch Menelaous. In the Eastern Kingdoms, there was High Commander Halford Wyrmbane, the indefatigable dwarf Falstadd Wildhammer, High-Enginer Gelbin Mekkatorque himself, and of more recent fame - General Darius Crowley. Each of these commanders had a reputation for might in the field that was hard earned, and even the Horde respected it.

While weakened, even in this state, the Alliance wasn't to be underestimated. It had since the beginning of the Cataclysm, put more men under arms than the Horde could deploy, had recruited several new factions to join them and, in spite of the dismal showing in Kalimdor had made good progress there. The Worgen were particularly great addtions, since their ferocity was near unmatched by any other force. Their skill in Guerrila warfare against the Forsaken was also a very useful factor, despite the high casualty rate.

However, the weakness in the Eastern Kingdoms persisted primarily in the training field. A lot of men had died on the anvil of the Twilight Hammer and it's relentless attacks, and a lot more in the Kalimdor Deployment in the Barrens. Training and deployment of fresh troops had just started and many of the more experienced Divisions, such as Legion VII, had been withdrawn from field duties for rest and refit. The Armored Divisions were in fairly good shape, though battered. Their Air Forces were still quite strong, perhaps because of rather than in spite of the Cataclysm, with a large proportion of Gnomish Pilots in their ranks.

The Eastern Kingdoms also had a large proportion of specialist fighters, most of them recruited under the banner of SI:7 and Ravenholdt Manor. These men and women were amongst the best special operatives in existence on Azeroth, and a great deal of intelligence gathered and sabotage was attributed to them. They ultimately were the factor that wrecked a great deal of Horde operations in the Eastern Kingdoms, and their usefulness was put to test severely in the months that followed. They came out shining with their powers of working in the shadows, as some commanders remarked wryly towards the end of the conflict.

In Kalimdor however, things were not so bright. The Night Elves were still reeling from the blows inflicted during the Cataclysm, and a lot of their forces were only now being reformed into fresh units. New troops were slow in coming, and the training grounds of Feralas, particularly Feathermoon Stronghold, were not fully staffed to capacity, having lost a great number of their Sentinels in the Cataclysm and subsequent assaults by Ogres upon the new headquarters. The Draenei had not taken much in terms of losses, and were still very well organised and fresh for combat duty, owing to the fact that they had not been deployed in any major conflict since the Icecrown Offensive.

The weakness in Kalimdor persisted primarily due to a lack of siege equipement and the lack of specialised infantry suited to specialist tasks. In the last category, only the Silverwing Sentinels were even remotely fulfilling the requirement. The Night Elven siege and armored equipment was archaic, with no innovations or improvements to the antiquated Glaive Launchers that the Night Elven Military still used. This was to undergo a massive change - as the conflict escalated, fresh improvements were designed and applied, which were to have a significant impact on operations in Kalimdor. But the knee-jerk response to the problem was not appreciated and is still argued over even to this day.

It must be noted that the Draenei Army comprised mostly of Paladins (_Vindicators, Harbingers and Peacekeepers_) and Shaman fighters. There were large numbers of Warriors too, to be sure, but they were less significant than the classes mentioned. In lesser numbers were Mages, primarily as support infantry. Their armored capabilities were non-existent, with nothing even remotely in the way of siege equipment and this was to prove a considerable weakness in the days to some. This was somewhat offset by their relatively high strength in Cavalry, especially their fearsome Elekks.

At the beginning of The Durotan Offensive, the general situation of the Alliance Armies was as follows,  
><strong>1. Eastern Kingdoms -<strong>  
><em>a) The Wildhammer Dwarves under Falstadd Wildhammer and the Alliance detachment under Lieutenant Fawkes<strong> (later Major Fawkes)<strong> were in almost total control of the Twilight Highlands, with the exception of the northern region, where the Dragonmaw Clan fiercely resisted all attempts to take their holdings._  
><em>b) The Stormpike Guard <strong>(reformed as the Stormpike Division)<strong> was in and around the Alterac Mountains, with the exception of the small town of Strahnbrad._  
><em>c) Arathi Highlands was mostly under the control of The League of Arathor, though the Defilers still stubbornly clung onto the outpost at Hammerfall. <strong>Force Commander Danath Trollbane was slated to return in three months time<strong>, so as to retake Stromgarde and reinforce and take control of the historic fortress._  
><em>d) Legion VII had been withdrawn for rest and refit, and was stationed for the purpose in Redridge Mountains.<em>  
><em>e) The Alliance Airforce was upgrading its old Gyrocopter fleet to Mega-Bombers and Heavy Copters, being produced from New Tinkertown in Dun Morogh. Production was halfway done.<em>  
><em>f) Twelve fresh Alliance Infantry Divisions and Three new Armored Divisions were being raised and trained. They would be ready in two months.<em>  
><em>g) Eight armored divisions were being repaired and refitted, with crews on rest duty, in Elwynn Forest. Three were deployed into Stranglethorn Vale to reinforce the Alliance Bases in the region.<em>

**2. Kalimdor -**  
><em>a) Six night elven infantry divisions and three armored divisions were deployed in Ashenvale to attempt to push the Orcs out of central Ashenvale and retake Warsong Gulch.<em>  
><em>b) Stonetalon Mountains had fallen to Night Elven and Gnomish forces, with the exception of a small bridgehead of Horde troops near the border to the Northern Barrens.<em>  
><em>c) The Alliance Expedition in the Southern Barrens, termed Northwatch Frontier, was stuck in a bloody stalemate with the Orcish forces from Desolation Hold. Fort Triumph was hard-pressed, but determinedly holding on.<em>  
><em>d) Theramore Island was <strong>completely reinforced with two fresh Infantry Divisions and one Armored Division<strong>. A fleet of 200 Gyrocopters and 50 Mega-Bombers had also been deployed. The new highway to the Barrens was secured and Grimtotem Outposts pacified._  
><em>e) The Draenei Army was on standby on Azuremyst and Bloodmyst Island. Under recommendation from King Varian Wrynn, consultations were in progress to raise an armored division for the Draenei Army.<em>  
><em>f) Training and Deployment of four fresh Night Elven infantry divisions and two armored divisions was in progress in Feathermoon Stronghold. They would be <strong>ready for deployment in one month<strong>._

As such, the Alliance total, excluding the untrained units, came up to 29 Divisions all told, with an Air Force of some 2,500 Fighters. While possessing considerable numerical superiority to the Horde, the lack of training and battle fatigue amongst many of the units would prove to be a constraint. But it would be rectified after some time, though the effort needed would be enormous, in retrospect.

The Alliance Navy was mostly Night Elven and Human. It was particularly strong and would prove to be **completely overwhelming** to the smaller, less well-equipped Horde Navy. Throughout the conflict, they would reign supreme over the waters, and even the air, as shall be seen.

Such was the state of the Alliance at the outbreak of the war. Whether it's much vaunted numerical superiority and troops would prevail over the highly trained and determined Horde Armies was yet to be seen.


	3. Part II Chapter 1

_**Note: I will be dealing with the war in three phases - Advance, Attrtion and Defeat. Part One will always be of the EKEF, Part Two of the KO.**_

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><p><strong><span>Part 2<span>**

**Death on one's heels**

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><p><em>"Weighted down with heavy care, condemned to months of silence, I can speak freely at last - my Forsaken Brethren! At this moment, a march is taking place, in it's extent, that world has never seen since the fall of Arthas! Today, the Forsaken shall truly begin on the path to reclaim what was rightfully ours in life in our unlife! May the Shadow aid us in this endeavour!"<em>

Sylvanas's proclamation to the Forsaken was read out at Eight in the morning of the twenty second day of the tenth month. Not four hours earlier, the Forsaken Plague Cannons and Siege Engines had unloaded a humungous barrage on the Stormpike Stronghold in Alterac, completely overwhelming the ill-prepared dwarves. The Guardsmen, awoken by the snarls and grunts of Frostwolf Raiders riding in on them, were killed off half-awake by the Frostwolf Outriders, who came charging down on them from the Alterac. After just an hour of brutal fighting, Vandalar Stormpike had enough and his forces fell back to Hillsbrad in a disordered rout, streaming back into the Arathi Highlands.

Had the Forsaken had radio equipment, they might have even heard the incoherent chatter of the dwarven division, relaying their panic back to high command in Dun Morogh - _"We're being overwhelmed! Cannot hold! Please advise!"_*

_(* - The reort of Ironforge HQ has alos been recorded - "You must be insane. And why is your signal not in code?")_

It was fruitless, for the Dun Morogh headquarters was still in the throes of sleep, with no one expecting a full-fledged invasion. Hence, the Stormpikes lost a great deal of their men in the engagement, and the disordered state they retreated in had hardly helped matters much. Morale had broken to abysmal levels, indiscipline was rife, and most of the "valor" that most Stormpike units were associated with had evidently gone with the wind. Added was Gen. Stormpike's incompetence in the battles of the Alterac, and the satge was set for a monumental military disaster. More fell to advancing Deathguard troops along the Hillsbrad highway, and the rout did not stop until they reached the relative safety of Thoradin's Wall, just two hours after the fall of Alterac. But it was obvious that they would break at the first appearance of Forsaken Troops, so atrocious was their state at the end of that march.

To be honest, the Stormpikes had no chance. They were relatively few - over two thousand men in all and some forty tanks - against four fresh Forsaken divisions with Plague Spewers attached, totalling some six thousand troops in all. And the notorious Frostwolves, whose ferocity was and still is legendary. But many agree that had it not been for General Vandalar Stormpike's gross incompetence in a frenzied retreat, the loss of life could have been prevented. It must have indeed been harsh, and even to this day, in terms of the desperation, weight of plague infection and sheer numbers of troops deployed, there has never been, and in all probability, will never be another day like this one.

Admittedly the Stormpike had been uncoordinated and caught napping. The fighting was left wholly to individual intitative of local commanders, with little or no oversight from Gen. Stormpike and the instinctive dwarven tenacity, who grimly held on as best as they could before their morale broke at the sight of the plague descending on them and they ran. Flights by the Alliance Airforces _(in that area, it was purely Wildhammer Gryphon Flights_) had been expressly forbidden over Hillsbrad, and over Alterac, penetration had been allowed only up half of the Valley. The lack of air support had also been a factor in the disordered rout and the magnitude of losses inflicted on them, which included more than half of their precious Steam Tanks and three-fourths of their infantry, to plague and Frostwolf raiders. The remaining troops were badly injured and exhausted by skirmishes fought with Forsaken advance troops as they fell back.

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><p>The EKEF had divided their forces into three groups, one under Dark Ranger Commander Nathanos Blightcaller and one under the Blood Knight commander Bloodvalor, which was essentially functioning as a mobile reserve to hold captured towns against possible Alliance retaliation. In conformity with the deployment that had worked so superbly in Northrend, the Frostwolf Clan had been kept outside the ordinary chain of command, and led by some of the fiercest Orcs known - Mulverick, Jeztor and Guse. Behind them came the mass of Forsaken Infantry, and following them closely were the Horde Siege Engines and Plague Spewers.<p>

These three parts of the EKEF, the Frostwolves, the Forsaken Main Force, and a secondary force with the Blood Elven units, were aimed at capturing the three main strategic sectors of Old Lordaeron, namely Alterac, Arathi and the Wetlands, respectively. They were then to regroup and strike at the next region, which would be decided after regrouping. But to be honest, the "general intention" of the Durotan Offensive in the Eastern Kingdoms was imprecise. It set out in very loose terms the aim of reaching a line from the Veiled Sea to the Forbidden Sea past Dun Morogh, but it was made clear that the primary objective was exclusively military -

_Destruction of the bulk of Alliance Armies using the principle of swift, bold penetration by Armored and Raider spearheads; prevention of withdrawal of battleworthy elements into Dun Morogh or any other interior region of the Eastern Kingdoms..._

In effect, the Frostwolves and the Siege Divisions were to carve up the Alliance Armies, while the slower moving Forsaken infantry and Plague spewers were to force their surrender. The Blood Elven units were, in effect, as a Triarii - to be used sparingly and at decisive moments. There was no discussion of fighting for the various strongholds that lay in their way, and it must be noted that this was by general agreement. As their time in the Ashen Verdict had shown, the battles for Northrend had been won by striking for Icecrown Glacier, not Icecrown Citadel.

This formula, while sound, was to prove troublesome. While senior commanders could and did understand the reasons why, most of the lower rung commanders, especially the Blood Elven units, did not. They had come to believe that all of the Eastern Kingdoms were at their feet, and longed to be sent after the defiant spires of Alliance strongholds, to batter them into submission to soothe their pride. Even the Frostwolves, flush with the victory in Alterac, were more eager to go after the various strongholds rather than obey a strict force-to-space ratio that was vital. This was to cause a number of local tactical errors, one of whihc would considerably slow down the advance, and subsequently infect the whole command structure with indecision, leading to crises later on. But at the time of the Battle of Hilsbrad and Alterac, it certainly seemed that the terms of the formula were being followed to the letter.

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><p>Following the disastrous rout, the Stormpikes had regrouped at Thoradin's wall. A swift Gryphon had alerted League of Arathor troops, as well as two Alliance Dwarven divisions, making some five infantry divisions at the wall and one depleted armoured unit, the Stormpike Armored Corps. The deployment had been hurried, with no pretence to defensive tactics - as such, all the divisions were side by side, with the depleted armor behind them, acting as short range artillery. As the Forsaken approached the wall next day, it was in some ways a repeat performance of Alterac. Also, the risen warrior of Stromgarde, Galen Trollbane and his Renegades, harassed the already demoralised dwarves from the rear. The Frostwolves rode around Durnholde, past the gap in the wall (<em>at that time, repairs had only just begun<em>), and hit the Arathor forces from the side from the side, while Horde Siege Engines and Plague Spewers hammered away at the frontline, followed by a general charging assault on them at the wall. By mid-afternoon, the whole front had crumbled, and the Alliance forces were in full retreat to Refuge Pointe, having suffered massive losses and lost the last of their precious tanks.

By this time, some alarm had spread through High Command in Ironforge, as well as in Stormwind, that a full fledged invasion was taking place. The first few orders percolated through to Refuge Pointe by evening and they began to reorganise. But yet again, as in Alterac, there was no chance. The Horde Airforce, while still beginning their operations, had inflicted quite some damage with fire mages and warlocks on the Dragonhawks ravaging the forward lines of the Arathi Highland troops, while they received no cover from their own Gryphons, which had been sent to the Hinterlands for a rest period. Thankfully, the Horde had left the Hinterlands alone, terming it a secondary objective, which gave the Wildhammers stationed there some breathing room. As a token gesture, three Wildhammer Infantry units had been sent, but it was to prove ineffective, for despite their courage and experience, they were simply outnumbered, with no reinforcements and no cavalry.

In the meantime, infrastructure, already scant in the Highlands, was ravaged even more. Roads were smashed and raked by frost novae, the Dabyrie Farmstead was blasted apart by Horde Siege engines, and the Forsaken had linked up with the Hammerfall Garrison of the Forstwolves, receiving a fresh Raider Corps in the process. The Defilers had also arrived on the scene, and were viciously harassing the flanks of the battered Alliance military in the region. Arathi Basin was also given up as a lost cause, with all its resources now being diverted to the advancing troops. A Forsaken observer unit, having spotted the Wildhammer Divisions headed to Refuge Pointe, had called up some Engineers from the Farstrider's division and blasted the tunnel leading into the Hinterlands, making further reinforcement impossible. The positive result of this was the Hinterlands remained out of Horde assault completely for the remainder of the offensive. It was small consolation at that time, however.

By the end of the first week of fighting, the Alliance had been pushed out of Refuge Pointe as well, and was clinging on by the slimmest front line onto the Thandol span, from which they were getting most of their supplies. Blowing it up was out of the question, so they held on, until they received further instructions.

In terms of sheer numbers, the Alliance was still better off, but poor coordination and command, coupled with panic and lethargy brought on by inactivity, resulted in it being squandered away, not to mention the dead being risen up against them by the Plague Spewers. The end result was that the Alliance was outnumbered three to one in terms of infantry and completely outclassed in cavalry and armor, with the EKEF fielding 18 fresh divisions, three of them armored and five Frostwolf raider units, against 8 battered and understrength Alliance divisions, all infantry.

The ratio was almost five-to-one in terms of numbers. To get an idea of Horde strength, it can be noted that their forces were arranged man-to-man along the frontline for a length of 4000 yards and and 500 yards in breadth, that is, from the Hammerfall junction to the Thandol Span in an unbroken mass.

Small wonder then that a Forsaken Deathguard Defiler in the 2nd Forsaken Division remarked, "The Alliance Defence might have just as well been a row of glass houses, against which you were throwing Goblin Charges."

* * *

><p>In just one week, the EKEF had advanced and taken Alterac, Hillsbrad and Arathi Highlands. By that time, the alarm had been raised to Full Alert, with the entire Alliance army in uproar. Most divisions were still in the stage of rest and refit or were untrained, and hence they were left with relatively few units to deploy. After considerable delay, three infantry and two armored divisions were sent into the Wetlands three days after the battle at Thoradin's Wall. They arrived just in time to see the remnants of the Arathi Forces, just three units - all down to quarter strength - streaming back into the Wetlands, and linked up with them, bringing it to a total of eight divisions.<p>

The reason for this sudden rout at the Thandol Span has been laid squarely on Gen. Stormpike's foolish attempts to push back the Forsaken. It is very likely that he had little or no inkling of the sheer numbers, or fighting spirit of the EKEF forces, and hence made several tactical errors, which seriously devastated his forces. To use an example, the three Wildhammer divisions had, tragically, been depleted in heroic, but idiotic death rides against the Forsaken frontline, near the access ridge to the Thandol Span, despite protesting bleats from every sub-commander that it was an unwise move. This incompetent handling was not restricted to the Wildhammers, and as a result, considerable losses were inflicted on the already weakened Alliance forces. By the time the reinforcements arrived, there was little or no order to them, and they simply broke and ran over the bridge, abandoning in the process what little food supplies and ammunition and weaponry they had been able to salvage, which further undermined them and reduced their courage and worse, their reputation as well amongst the general bulk of the Alliance armies in the Eastern Kingdoms.

The Forsaken, after a tremendous fight, had finally forced the Arathi forces to retreat, but had suffered some casualties in the process, losing two infantry divisions - about 4500 troops - in the fierce resistance put up by the desperate Alliance defenders. Casualties on the Alliance side were high, having completely lost five of their units - some 8000 men and their weapons. The Alliance airforce had also been summoned up in desperation, with mostly obsolete fighters, being sent out to their destruction. The deployment did little to help, since they were more preoccupied with the enemy on the ground than the air, and were shot down and destroyed as a result thanks to the Horde Dragonhawks. The losses of Gyrocopters totalled over 400 downed, with little to show for the sacrifice. A few days later, the Airforce Commander Harold Durin - a human, committed suicide by slamming his Gyrocopter loaded with bombs into a Forsaken frontline sector, killing some sixty troops with the flaming bombs. In his diary, he mentions having decided to do so over shame of his incompetence in sending his men to their deaths. His post was taken over by Commander Fizzcrank Fullthrottle, who had just returned from Northrend.

The Horde however was surprised at the tenacity of the defenders. Ususally most would surrender after they were surrounded. But not these men. They seemed not to know it's meaning, and ferociously resisted, often to their deaths. The Forsaken remarked that, unlike the conquest of Hillsbrad pre-cataclysm, there was no sense of victory, of entering a defeated land. Instead there was resistance, always resistance, no matter how pointless or how slight. One Forsaken officer remarked, "There was this one Gnome who ran at us with burning grenades, in the way of the Goblins. He blew up before he reached us, but the incident suggested a fresh alarm." Other such desperate acts were also witnessed by the advancing Horde armies.

The Alliance directive was frustratingly vague - "attack the enemy wherever encountered, and no surrender or quarter given." As such, the blind stubbornness resulted in massive casualties (surprisingly) to both sides. But the cost for the Alliance was dearer, since the Forsaken merely had to resurrect their own, while the Alliance numbers were being ground down swiftly. Against the Frostwolves however, this was fairly effective, with Wing Commander Guse's troops being badly decimated near the Thandol Span (often remarked as the only positive outcome of the death rides against them by the Wildhammers), resulting in them being merged with Wing Commander Jeztor's raiders.

* * *

><p>However by the middle of the Second Week, the Alliance had been pushed into the Central Wetlands, with Menethil Harbour dangerously unprotected. The brave, but idiotic attempts to retake the Thandol Span resulted in two infantry - the 5th Rifle Division (Human) and 2nd Mountain Division (Dwarven) - and one armored division - the 4th - being destroyed and reduced to just a quarter of its strength. These three were reorgainsed subsequently as the 1st Mechanised Infantry, whose story shall be recounted later. However, the Alliance recalled Gen. Stormpike and gave him a choice - dishonourable dismissal or an honourable death. The General chose death and subsequently, committed suicide three days after his recall. His post was taken over by Kurdran Wildhammer, who was hoped to bring about a more positive outcome to the unholy mess that were the Alliance forces in the Wetlands, or Army Group Defender as they had been somewhat ambitiously regrouped as.<p>

Kurdran Wildhammer knew from personal experience just how harsh the Wetlands were for a defensive action. While Grim Batol could provide some relief, it would be short lived, since any diversion from the Dragonmaws in the Twilight Highlands would result in them streaming down to the EKEF forces arrayed in front of them. Hence, despite repeated orders from Stormwind to retreat and regroup with Wildhammer forces in the Twilight Highlands, he stubbornly refused and instead, retreated slowly to Dun Morogh, laying defiles and traps as best as his forces could. To his forces in the Twilight Highlands, he ordered them to utterly destroy the Dragonmaw Orcs, and give them no chance of reinforcing the EKEF.

This last order was the only one carried out to full effect by the Alliance armies in the region, and the Battle of Dragonmaw has gone down as a perfect example of quick thinking coupled with lethal force. Already weakened by the containment upon them, the deployment of the Wildhammers' fiercest Shamans finally broke the port walls down, thanks to an excessive usage of elemental energies, and as reports have shown, of a garrison of 2000 Orcs, less than 30 survived the assault, as prisoners of war. Their loss was to cause considerable unpleasantness in Orgrimmar, with the Dragonmaw chieftain being summarily executed by an enraged Warchief over his "incompetence" and his body prominently displayed on a meat-hook outside Orgrimmar's main gate, apparently as a warning against such "failures". A highly detailed, and arguably the best written account of the battle is recounted in Keegan Firebeard's memoirs, "_Twilight Banished_".

* * *

><p>Other than this, the retreat into Dun Morogh was a steady affair, and given the disorder of the troops preceding Kurdran's appointment, relatively smoothly. However, one incident of superb heroism, which has gone down since as a shining example of the courage of ordinary soldiers, is worth recounting. It was to prove a huge morale boost to the tired Alliance military, and had the effect of slowing down the EKEF juggernaut, as well as a few other effects, as shall be recounted presently. This incident took place near Greenwarden's Grove, two weeks after the beginning of the invasion :-<p>

The previous evening, the First Mechanised Division's armored contingent were covering the retreat of the rest of their men. They had pulled into the little town of Greenwarden and decided to stay there for that night. Their orders were to block and lay traps on the two road a little to thier north, and catch some rest and be prepared to move off the next morning at the break of dawn. However, the next morning broke with a mist which limited visibility to just 200 yards, and while they had limbered up and were ready to go, they were ordered to wait another two hours to see if the mist would clear and they would move then. The steam tank crews took this oppurtunity to clean up their tanks, and try to organise themselves some breakfast.

After two hours had gone by, the mist had cleared and most of the unit had moved off duitfully, with the exception of two Steam Tanks, rather affectionately termed the Twins, as their tank commanders, Harald and Thurim, were brothers. However, as these last two prepared to move, a shell came screaming through the morning air and exploded not a few yards away from them, and a furious barrage of arrows followed it from some distance away, near the crossroads to the camp. The advancing Horde army, mostly Farstrider troops, had caught up with them and had, thanks to the mist, set up some exceptional firing positions in the foliage around them, and completely surprised the Dwarven troops.

The first reaction of the gunners was, as expected, pure astonishement. Then came a cold fury as the arrows began to rain down on them. Thurim Stonehammer gave the immortal cry, "Who's for the Guns?" and led a rush to the two parked Steam Tanks. Both kicked off into action simultaneously, with the gunners and their loaders being the only ones inside the tanks, the rest of the crews assembling around the tanks to protect them from advancing infantry. Unfortunately, the ammunition for the tanks was across the Grove, and men began to run back and forth between the Ammo Limber and the tanks to keep them supplied with the shells needed.

Almost immediately after this uneven battle began, Harald's tank was hit directly by a high explosive shell and smashed beyond repair, with Harald survivng somehow miraculously - his loader wasn't so lucky. The last gun kept firing. Five Horde siege engines were arrayed against them, one to harass the retreating Alliance forces, and four focused firmly on finishing off the last gun in the Grove. The men in that small group of troops, some thirty men, all told, did the best they could to defend the gun, most of them being riflemen, Dwarves and Humans alike. Four men acted as gunlayers for what had effectively become an artillery position, while the others defended these four, and a few brave souls kept running back and forth across the grove, being under fire all the while, to supply ammunition for the Tank to fire. AS a runner went down, another took his place.

It has been said afterwards that the gun bore a charmed life - shells and arrows fell all round it, and once even a full force charge by Blood Elven Paladin units, who had closely followed the Farstriders, yet it sustained only minor damage. The fire on it became even more intense, with the last Horde Siege Engine also joining in to crush this persistent gadfly of a Steam Tank which was holding up the entire Advance.

However, the Gun certainly had its' effect on the Blood Elven units besieging it. Their morale suffered the most, in addition to their not inconsiderable losses inflicted by the Tank and its defenders. But even if the Gun bore a charmed life, the men who were with it, however, were only mortal. The battle had been raging for nearly two hours, and most of the men were dead beat and wretched with exhaustion. Harald was badly wounded by arrows, and the gunlayer was struck through the eye not too long after this, instantly killing him. A gryphon sargeant, who had flown off to request help, returned with the news that they were asked to hold on for a little while longer, as help was coming. He took his place in the gunlayers pit. Thurim then went off as ammunition runner, but the unfortunate officer barely got to a few yards before he was peppered with arrows.

Down to just seven men, the last few began to fire off what little ammunition that was left around the gun. And pretty soon, there was nothing left, nothing to fire. And, just at the proverbial eleventh hour, when the last shell had been fired off and the empty casing flung aside, there came the beat of several wings in the air, followed by vicious war cries of the Wildhammer Clan, which thundered past them on their gryphons, most of them Shamans, mounted on their flying steeds. These reinforcements devastated the Blood Elven units, and pretty soon, there was a general rout as they fled under the punishment inflicted on them by that lone gun and now the sudden appearance of the ferocious dwarven shamans, their morale completely smashed. That lone Gun had done it - delayed the Horde advance substantially and given the retreating Alliance Armies some vitally needed breathing time, a valiant stand of the First Mechanised Division.

The casualties were severe - twenty seven dead, amongst them Harald Stonehammer, his gunlayer Rynn, 14 dwarves and 11 humans. All the survivors were severely wounded, with Thurim having been shot in no less than 15 points on his person, and an average of seven arrow wounds to every survivor. The Horde casualties were also quite significant - a total of 45 Blood Elven corpses had been counted, and two of their five Siege Engines had been destroyed and a third captured. Thurim and Harald Stonehammer and Rynn were awarded Alliance Medallions of Valor, First Class - Harald and Rynn's being posthumous. All the other members of the unit were given Alliance Medals of Courage. And never had those awards been so hardily earned, for it was no mere flash of heroism, but rather - sustained cold courage for over two hours against impossible odds.

1st Mechanised was given the official title of 1st "Elfblooders" Mechanised Division. The tank that served so valiantly served out the remainder of it's service in the war in Dun Morogh, was subsequently sent back to Ironforge, and installed, with complete refit, in the centre of the Military Ward, alongside the life-sized statues of it's defenders encircling the base of it's pedestal. And since then, every year the division has celebrated on that day when this lone Tank staved off the might of the Horde.

* * *

><p>The effects of this feat of bravery were quite significant.<p>

On the Horde side, it would result in the defamation and disgrace of the Blood Elf divisions, with Neriah Dawnchaser and her troops along with Bloodvalor being harshly reprimanded by an irate Sylvanas, and relegated to support duty instead of the intital Triarii role that had been assigned to them. It would prove to be a factor of considerable dissent in the coming weeks. After the incident, a series of arguments over the wisdom of attacking strongholds again cropped up, resulting in a halt of the Horde advance yet again. Back and forth, dialogue was traded, along with harsh recrimintaions against lower level commanders for their blind insistence in assaulting the keeps. They responded furiously that in order to keep their troops motivated, some looting was necessary, else what was the point of the conquest? After considerable acrimony, the issue was settled after Sylvanas had several executed for direct defiance to her orders, with Nathanos Blightcaller personally carrying out several of the sentences. It would result in a lower morale among the troops for the remainder of the campaign, which would prove decisive in the battles of Dun Morogh not three weeks later.

On the Alliance side, the delays induced by this event were to be significantly helpful for Kurdran, as he withdrew his troops as best as he could. Morale also increased among the men, for it reassured them that the hitherto Horde juggernaut could be beaten back. It was the first reverse the enemy had suffered, and it gave many of the units fresh hope. The success of the tank prompted Wrynn, who had received a full report, to send another two armored and three more infantry divisions into Dun Morogh. These would also play a significant role. The failure of the Horde Air Force to make a impressive showing in the Wetlands also helped in the speeding up of the refit and renewal of the Alliance Air Forces in the region, which was nearly back to full strength under Fizzcrank's command.

In a wholly unrelated incident, a new commander was appointed as Kurdran Wildhammer's superior for the campaign against the Horde. His name, which went unnoticed by Horde intelligence services, was Darius Crowley.

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><p><em><strong>And that's one part of the assualt phase complete. In the next cahpter, I shall deal with the Horde Offensive in Kalimdor. Ideas, suggestions, and most important of all, your feedback, corrections and reviews are eagerly awaited and deeply appreciated.<strong>_

_**And, uh, sorry for the delay. Head colds can seriously undermine your capability to write, I must say =.=**_


	4. Part II Chapter 2

**_And here's the view of Kalimdor. I hope you like it, dear readers! As always, please do review - it is not enough to merely read the chapter and not let me know what your opinions and thoughts on the content are. YOur pointers are needed to move the story ahead!_**

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><p><strong>Part 2 Chapter II<strong>

**Bloody Monsoon**

* * *

><p><em>"For the memory of Durotan, of Doomhammer! Let these filthy Night Elven barbarians know the meaning of fear! For Hellscream! For the Horde!"<em>

The cry was heard several times over the course of that fateful first day, and for many days to come. Approximately one hour after the beginning of the Durotan Offensive in the Eastern Kingdoms, the Kalmidor front opened up, from the Stonetalon Mountains and via the Barrens and Azshara into Ashenvale. The Horde forces, mostly Warsong Clan warriors, acheived near total surprise against the Night Elves, who were wholly unprepared for the magnitude of the assault they went under. Almost immediately after the advance began, much of the Silverwing Sentinel deployment in the area was wiped out, save for a small battalion which had been deployed near Astranaar to foil the assaults from Hellscream's Reach.

The Sentinels, those few who survived the initial assault, had little or no inkling of what they were up against, but to their credit, they quickly reorganised and fled deeper into Ashenvale, waiting to regroup. Unlike in the Eastern Kingdoms, Night Elven command was inherently flexible, allowing local commanders to react as they thought best. Casualties were severe, however, with most of their forward garrisons (_two infantry and two armored divisons under the Sentinels_) being completely destroyed in the intitial wave of Orc assaults, which came directly from the Mor'Shan ramparts and, in lesser magnitude, from Splintertree Outpost. By mid-morning, the Sentinels had lost half of their troops (_roughly 5,000 troops_) in the massive waves that overran most of their garrisons and dugouts.

* * *

><p>The Horde Offensive in Kalimdor was almost the same as in the Eastern Kingdoms, save that they relied more on their Infantry, rather than their bulky Seige Engines, which were admittedly quite useless in the dense forest. However, in Stonetalon, the lone Siege Division was put to exceptional use. This was particularly due to the fact that the Night Elves had only one, the 9th Huntress division, in the area, which was quite understrength, and a weak Gnomish Army Corps, who were wholly useless without their Reavers, which weer undergoing repairs after the prolonged battles of Stonetalon. While a variety of reasons have been given, the primary cause for the weakness of the night elves in Stonetalon has been attributed to the fact (<em>rather ironically<em>) that most of them were training the new batches of their army in Feralas. Also, the Gnomes had been exhausted after months of bitter fighting in Stonetalon Pass, and most of them were still not fully acclamatised to the weather in Kalimdor. The result of this sorry state was that nearly all the gains made by the Alliance Coalition in Stonetalon were reversed within just five hours by a force of mostly Tauren units and the supporting Siege Division under Gorlach, who were all mostly reservists - to add insult to injury, the Gnomes lost two-thirds of their Reavers, most being destroyed and some being captured and used against them by the Horde Goblin Engineers, a small Company of which had followed the Tauren into Stonetalon. They were pushed back right up to the narrow pass leading into Ashenvale, before the advance halted, ostensibly owing to heat exhaustion.

In Ashenvale, things were slowly disintegrating. Despite the hardest efforts, and some have said because of it, the Night Elves were simply outclassed. They were up against nearly 7 fresh divisions of Orcish and Trollish troops, while the night elves had a mere four understrength divisions and no siege equipement save for one badly damaged and depleted Armored Unit in Astranaar, also understrength due to losses suffered while attempting to clear out Maestra's Post and Hellscream's Reach. By the end of the third day's fighting, the Elves had been pushed back as far as Astranaar itself, with Silverwind Refuge as the forward base for the KO. The Horde received another two corps, roughly 2,000 troops, from Silverwind Refuge and Hellscream's Reach, as well as an advance force from Raynewood Retreat, which was the farthest zone under Night Elven control. However, the Horde forces near Maestra's Post were completely obliterated, but at considerable losses to the Night Elves.

In truth, the KO advance had been terribly risky. As Saurfang has said, it was a damned close run thing. For in spite of superior Infantry, which had proven it's salt that day, they had committed all their fighting divisions into battle simultaneously. There was virtually no reserve. Seven had been sent north into Ashenvale, out of which a mere five were in the forest itself. Two were sent to Stonetalon, with the lone Siege Division. The remaining seven had been sent south, to assault Fort Triumph, Northwatch Hold, and destroy both. This second group succeded in taking half of Northwatch hold before ceasing operations for the day. Casualties on the Alliance side here too were severe, with the 12th Infantry (Human) being completely wiped from existence and sending another two, the 5th Night Elven (Sentinel) and 2nd Rifle (Dwarven) into a full rout after heavy losses. Fortunately, the Night Elves, under the leadership of their Commander-Sentinel Skysong, regrouped and stubbornly held on to the remaining half of Northwatch until the Horde ceased operations, and General Hawthorne sounded a retreat.

By the end of the first week, the Alliance in Kalimdor lost Northwatch Hold and Astranaar. The last was particularly gruesome, as the hapless Night Elves were violently attacked from three directions. One pincer was from the Splintertree Road, one from the south along Stonetalon Pass, and a third surprise strike from the direction of the sea. This last strike was from the Zoram'Gar Outpost, which had recieved reinforcements in the form of Troll Raptor Strike Units, which had been dropped there in Goblin Zeppelins as well as ships of the Horde Navy (_nearly a third of their fleet_). So it was a full Seven divisions, all almost at full strength, against five Night Elven units, three of which were understrength, and only one depleted armored division in. At the end of the the week, just two staggered back to Maestra's Post, which was fortified to try and delay the Horde Advance. The armor was lost, as were the bulk of trained troops. The ones left defending the outpost were all half-trained units, mostly huntresses. A lone Sentinel Corps, less than one-third of a division, was left as the only fully-trained and ready unit. And by ready it must be emphasised that they were ready to fight, not to win, as most of them were already fatigued after a week of incessant combat.

However, the Horde was finding it particularly hard to ford through Ashenvale. Aside from being harassed by lightning fast strikes by the last few Sentinels, the very forest seemed to be against them. One Orc in the 1st Warsong Division had remarked as to how he felt he was _"always being watched, like some creepy hellhole from Zangarmarsh, and how everything, even the trees, seem to be out for your blood."_ One mightn't expect it, but the Orcs were particularly afraid of Ashenvale forest. The memory of Grom Hellscream's misadventures were still fresh in several minds, and no one wanted a repeat of it. With the result that the Warsong Clan needlessly lost momentum in the very first week of the assault. Had they not slackened, it is very possible that not a single Night Elf would have left the forest alive. As it turned out, despite heavy casualties, the Alliance Coalition in Ashenvale (_Mostly remnants of the Gnomish deployment in Stonetalon and the battered Night Elven army_) remained more or less intact, inasmuch as it's command and control structure is concerned. Ther was no repeat of the Hillsbrad fiasco.

The Trolls, in comparison to the normally fearless (_but apprehensive now_) Orcs, showed little or no fear, and were amongst the most exemplary units, winning several mentions-in-despatches to and by Saurfang, and several Marks of Valor. Even the night elven garrisons have admitted that the best warriors they'd seen on the field throughout the week had been mostly Trolls, save for in that brutal assault from Stonetalon and Zoram'Gar.

* * *

><p>Saurfang's troops were faring better in the Southern Barrens, however. Much as Fort Triumph and Northwatch Hold attempted to hold on, it was simply too much for their already overextended and exhausted Alliance garrisons to hold on. To make matters worse, some of the corps had criminals within them - a cheap tactic for filling in the recruitment spaces, during the army enlistment drive promoted by King Wrynn - and whose indiscipline had reached near intolerable levels. Also, some men had taken to less-than-pleasant pursuits in the Overgrowth, the garrsion there being almost always in a moonshine-induced haze. Added to that was the unfortunate timing of the climate, which was currently at the peak of the rainy season in Kalimdor, with days alternating between rain-soaked and miserable, to a scorching heat and discomforting humidity a day after. With such factors, it was no surprise that the Alliance Forces fared very poorly.<p>

Saurfang himself led the assault on the Southern Barrens. Three days after the beginning of the invasion, Fort Triumph was violently attacked by Warlord Gar'Dul's forces from Desolation Hold, having received fresh troops from Saurfang's Kor'Kron Elite Corps as well as a Troll Druid Corps. In contrast. Fort Triumph had the considerably denuded 5th Battalion (Theramore) and the routed 2nd Rifle (Dwarven) Division (_in reality after the rout, they were little more than 1/3rd of their actual strength, just a Corps in size_) - a numerical disadvantage of nearly six-to-one. Much of the 5th Battalion was lost, with the survivors numbering just over 40 men out of a roster of 300. The Dwarven unit, was completely destroyed, with not even a single survivor. Rather than lose all his forces, General Hawthorne sounded a retreat from Southern Barrens exactly twelve hours after the destruction of Fort Triumph. This was a most sordid affair, with the complete evacuation (_and loss_) of much of the soil for which rivers of blood had been spilled already over the past ten months. Also, Saurfang was determined not to let the Alliance Expeditionary Force escape without heavy casualties, and continuously had his troops assault the fleeing columns of Alliance units, which spread panic and disorder and turned a retreat into a full-blown rout into Dustwallow Marsh. Roughly a day after the fall of Astranaar, the Southern Barrens once again passed into Horde control, with the Alliance having lost three out of five division-sized units in the region. Also, the action put Theramore at considerable risk, it being the next most inviting target for the Horde forces.

The only division with any coherent phase was the 5th Night Elven (Sentinel). They successfully fell back from Northwatch Hold, and into Dustwallow Marsh without significant casualties.

While Saurfang's elite Kor'Kron would ride upto the very valley leading into Dustwallow Marsh, they would not enter for another three days, owing to supply problems due to the incessant rains. This problem of short munitions supply would plague the Horde throughout the campaign, with the situation in the Eastern Kingdoms being only marginally better. Ther reasons for this shall be amplified in the next chapter, in which the logistical issues the Goblin Supply Corps faced, are dealt with in detail.

* * *

><p>After the fall of Astranaar, there was considerable uproar in Darnassus and the Exodar. A desperate message went out to Stormwind, only to be replied that there was a similar, if not worse, predicament facing the Eastern Kingdoms and that, essentially, Kalimdor was on it's own for the moment. Another message to Feralas had a more positive result, with General Shandris Feathermoon replying that seven fresh and fully equipped Night Elven division, nearly two-thirds of the NIght Elven Army, was ready to move and would arrive in Darkshore in one week. Things also improved slightly with the Draenei committing their entire army, some five divisions, all Infantry, being ready for immediate deployment. The lack of Siege equipment was troubling, but extensive refit had been done of the surviving units, and it was presumed that they would be more than enough to deal with the one Siege Unit under Gorlach.<p>

However, the Alliance in Kalimdor received a much welcome respite from - of all things - the weather itself. It has already been stated that it was the rainy season. In the Barrens, it was beneficial to the Horde, who were used to the squalls. In Ashenvale and Stonetalon however, the rain proved a considerable nuisance. Tracks and paths, already fragile thanks to the incessant warfare and wildlife, were completely flooded, submerged or muck-filled. The mud made going extremely difficult for the Horde armies, whereas the Night Elves, born and brought up in such lands, enjoyed relatively superior terrain control. Saurfang remarks -

_"It was frustrating, if not for the gravity of the situation I would have called any sort of assault in such weather madness. To see my advance forces halted across nearly twenty miles of this rain-soaked, clingy, humid, dense and detestable rainforest. The rain would turn most of the paths into a slimy morass, which would often swallow whole platoons of grunts. And once the sun came out, the mud would dry up swiftly, making the going tortuous in the extreme. It was maddening to see a line of Horde soldiers stretching twenty miles, all stuck until either the sun or the rain was a little merciful, or the mad Goblins with their unreliable machinery came to release them from the mud and filth. Disease and intestinal disorders due to the muck and unclean water, not to mention poisoned food and poisonous plants set up by those infernal elven druids, made my forces suffer evn more in the rains."_

The Horde certainly suffered a great deal in the rainy season in Ashenvale and Stonetalon. Night Elven druids, with their mastery over plant life and nature, made the going extremely hard. There were simply too many, or they were simply too well hidden, or some combination of both, that contributed to a very bad attrition rate suffered by the Durotan Offensive. The death on being caught by Horde soldiers, however, was painful in the extreme, with most of the captives being killed slowly over a time-period of days. And signififcantly worse for female captives. Hence, it was mostly sentinels or Druids of the Claw who worked these dangerous tasks. The delays caused by all this, however, was to prove to be the night elves salvation, as the Horde Offensive in Ashenvale ground to a halt after a week of bitter fighting. The next phase would begin some four or five days later, by which time significant changes would have occurred.

Meanwhile, on Azuremyst Island, the Draenei were gearing up to go to war. Although they had no siege equipment, they were perfectly suited for combat in the dense Darkshore and Ashenvale regions. However, the slow pace of their remobilisation meant that they would only arrive in Darkshore at the end of the second week. While perilous, it was assumed that there would be sufficient time - and a great deal of it depended on the weather - to delay the Horde long enough to deploy and start retaking the lost regions.

Among all the Alliancers, none were more willing to fight the Horde than the Draenei (_with the probable exception of the Gilnean Worgen_). While it is natural to assume that Humans would have the greatest desire to wreck Orgrimmar, it was the Draenei who showed the most eagerness. This has been attributed to one very simple truth - the betrayal on Draenor. Prophet Velen's peaceful nature aside, there was not a single Draenei who wouldn't pick up on the chance to impale an Orc through the heart. All of them had lost friends and family to the slaughter of Shattrath, and they were in no mood to relent even marginally.

This ferocity was to prove decisive in the weeks to come, though the lack of siege equipment would mean that they would be locked in as an Anivil to the Hammer of Alliance retaliation, until relief arrived.

* * *

><p>Towards the end of the second week, two events were to occur that would set into motion the chain of events that would bring about the greatest changes of Azeroth's history.<p>

The First:-  
>In Stormwind, Wrynn called an emergency meet with every major senior army commander in the Alliance <em>(those who could not physically attend were given Scrying Orbs)<em> as well as representatives from the major neutral organisations of Azeroth, to decide upon a course of action. It became obvious that the Forsaken would not be stopped with mere force alone. At least, not with the forces they had alone. There was the question of the neutrals. The Argent Crusade, The Knights of The Ebon Blade, The Cenarion Circle and The Earthen Ring were all petitioned for support. It is on record that all except the Ebon Blade refused to take sides.

The Ebon Blade's decision was most surprising. It had been assumed that, given it's overwhelmingly cosmopolitan nature, it would be the most vehement in it's objection to taking sides. However, the reason was soon revealed. As it turned out, Sylvanas had, with implicit support from Hellscream, forcibly taken Koltira Deathweaver, a prominent Ebon Blade Officer, and as per reports, had mercilessly tortured him in the Undercity. It was believed that he was still alive, and being tortured - though the exact reasons were not made clear. The general belief was that the Horde disliked Death Knight Deathweaver's cosmopolitan outlook, and of his close friendship with Death Knight Thassarian of the Ebon Blade, and this was probably why he was so mercilessly treated. This violation of the neutral freedom and dignity of a member of this organisation had incensed every Death Knight on Azeroth, and all had, without exception, left the Horde, irrespective of their race.

The Second:-  
>The Farstriders commaned, Neriah Dawnchaser, was recalled to Silvermoon. With her was a guest - and a more unusual guest could not have been imagined. For it was Valeera Sanguinar.<p>

Her exact circumstances of capture are unknown, but it is known that she was deployed behind enemy lines to extract some information on Forsaken Troop Movements. Her deployment had been on the orders of Darius Crowley, who wanted some concrete information on Forsaken suplpy lines and troop deployments, so that he could let loose his GLF specialists on them. Also, in a secret briefing by Wrynn, she was given further instructions, the nature of which, even today, are unclear. However, it seems that her being detected and caught by Horde counter-intelligence was planned, since instead of being handed over to the Royal APothecary Society, as would have been common for P.O.W.s taken by the EKEF, she was given to Commander Dawnchaser to take back to Silvermoon.

On her arrival in Silvermoon, she was immediately taken into custody, but records show that she was granted just three hours later, a private audience with Lor'Themar Theron, Halduron Brightwing, Rommath and Liadrin. What transpired in that meeting, which lasted six long hours, has never been known. But it is also recorded that within an hour of the meeting's adjournment, Valeera Sanguinar was on a Dragonhawk, flying back to Stormwind, and a recall order was being prepared for the remainder of the Blood Elven units deployed, to be replaced with "reeducated units" from Outland, those who had survived Kael'Thas Sunstrider's misadventures and had returned to Silvermoon. That such substandard troops were deployed seems to indicate the disgust which Lor'Themar and his council had developed towards Sylvanas, which had only increased after the reports of Plague Spewer usage were circulated within Horde Command. Sylvanas, though unaware of the meeting with Sanguinar, was understandably annoyed, but the arrial of several more Blood Elven units, mostly Mages, placated her somewhat. The deployment of these new units was exactly the same as that of the old divisions which were being withdrawn.

Another two additions to the Alliance Coalitions would also come, but from the most unusual of sources. Also, the decision to withdraw the Blood Knights and Farstriders had been unexpected, but it did not overly concern the Horde. Also, it was assumed by many in the Horde, when they heard of the Ebon Blade's decision, that it was but a minor hiccup in their plans, and which could be smoothed out subsequently.

In reality, these decisions was to prove fatal in a way none could have even imagined. A terrible loss had been inflicted on the Horde, though none could see it then, and it's impact on the overall situation of the Durotan Offensive could hardly even be imagined.


	5. Part II Chapter 3

**Part II Chapter 3**

**Of Goblins and Supply Lines**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Note: Special thanks to Similyn for lending her wonderful creations to me for this fic, and for her patience and a keen eye in editing all the embarrassing bloopers in the story. Similyn, you rock! May your Days be Long and Your Hardships Few!<em>  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong><em>Section One<em>  
><strong>

"_Listen babe, you gotta keep up. The world is changin'. Everything these days is now, now, now; faster, faster, faster; me, me, me; murder, murder, murder. With the right bribes, anything is street legal._"

While the statement above would seem quite incongruous with the grim background of the War, it is unfortunately the truth. At the very least, with the Goblins of the Bilgewater Cartel. It will be remembered that Trade Princess Mida was in charge of the Logistics for the Horde advance. Now, as any who have worked with Goblins can testify, the suppliers would only work if they found a very good reason to do so - namely a profit. Not for the Bilgewater Cartel was the inspiring call of "_Freedom for the Horde._"

This is not to say that they were incompetent. Quite contrary. Their supply lines were among the best the Horde had seen in a very long time. With their mechanised transports, overtly-zealous bookkeeping and zeppelin flights, they were a force to be reckoned with. It's just the fact that they needed some motivation to work. It is also known, after records were examined after the war, that the Horde had ample Logistics to fight for much, much longer than the Alliance forces, who were economically depressed and were, quite literally, scraping the barrel for resources to equip their men, as well as the money to pay them.

So why did the supply lines fail so abysmally in Ashenvale and the Wetlands? The reasons are varied, naturally, but some stand out principally as the prime factors for the incompetence. Particularly Greed. It is no secret that Goblins are mindlessly greedy for gold. And they were only too aware of the quantity of supplies available. So it was only natural that on the routes, somewhere and at varying times, there would be siphoning of surplus goods. In more peaceful times, it would have been of no account. But in wartime, with men on the frontline desperately awaiting weapons, armor and food, it was hazardous.

One particular beneficiary was Mida herself. In no small part this was due to that unwieldy geodesic that was Horde Command. She was answerable to no one except Warchief Hellscream, and the Orc was not one to bother his head - for he had neither the time nor patience to do so - over a "few" missing crates. As such, the Trade Princess became quite wealthy within just three weeks of the war, by surreptitiously selling off any leftovers after the Zeppelins delivered the requisitioned Cargo in either the Eastern Kingdoms or Kalimdor. After all, she reasoned, the Horde would win, so who would ask questions over some excess crates?

Contrary to her belief, many people did. Particularly military commanders, who were livid with the blatant way the supplies were disappearing. While it may sound strange, they were genuinely concerened about the way the war was going - even in the Eastern Kingdoms. The stubborn resistance in the Wetlands and even the Arathi Highlands had impressed the Forsaken armies. It led to a belief that the Alliance was stronger than previously believed, and not quite the "_Weak, incompetent, soft fools that are the living_" that they'd been told they were facing by their Apothecaries.

Had they but known of the actual situation within Alliance military command, they would not have been so apprehensive. Notwithstanding this, the attrition of vital requirements, such as fuel, weapons and food (_even Forsaken need nutrients to keep their corpses in one piece_), was enormous. In this aspect, General Stormpike's futile death rides were quite instrumental. Also, just a little while after the Steam Tank incident in the Wetlands, the Forsaken had assaulted Menethil Harbour, and suffered heavy casualties from the Harbour defence cannons, though they did win control of the vital position, and would retain it for another two weeks.

One particular case has grown around a Goblin named Pykk. One of the Lieutenants of Mida, he was tasked with overseeing the supply and "profit" operations in the Eastern Kingdoms. Pykk was all business - nonmilitary, strictly disinterested in anything other than his bank account and Mida's orders. As such, out of most of the logistics, he was responsible for siphoning off as much as _35% of all supplies_ that were sent there, and pocketing the proceeds, after splitting them between himself and Mida. His racket of selling off crates of supplies made several Horde officers furious, for they were of the opinion that those supplies were vital and disposing of them was an insane risk, should anything go wrong. After Menethil Bay, this opinion only increased. Even if they complained, it would go only to Pykk himself, who naturally would do nothing about it.

Ironically, it was the natural greed of the goblin race that eventually brought down Pykk. Mida observed that he was getting richer than she was, so in a careful implication, erasing her own tracks, she sent proofs that the Armies were being undermined, to Sylvanas herself. And hence, one bright cold day just three days after Mida sold him out, Pykk found himself being dragged out of his quarters by Deathguards and hauled to the Undercity, where Sylvanas blasted him for "treachery to the Horde". Pykk vehemently denied it, until proofs were shown to him that some of those crates had unfortunately gone to Alliance buyers _(yes, even the Alliance was corrupt enough, and oppurtunistic enough, to buy from Goblins_). That sealed his fate. He was condemned to purgatory, and his bank account was dissolved, all the Gold being added to the Bilgewater Cartel accounts, from where it doubtless found it's way into Mida's pocket.

Sylvanas handed him over to The Royal Apothecary Society, who had their fun with him right until the Undercity was taken. By the time the Alliance finally reached Undercity and released him, the description of him was "_the Goblin could hardly walk, was pale blue instead of green, eyes were permanently glazed over - probably due to injection of toxic drugs and poisons in experimentation, and was perpetually mouthing gibberish._" The goblin didn't survive too long and died three days after his release from captivity.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Section Two<strong>_

Another reason was Alliance counter-intelligence and sabotage. This in particular attained a great deal of prominence. In the Eastern Kingdoms, the SI:7 was instrumental in harassing and wrecking the functioning supply routes. Caravans were blown up, crates mislabeled with wrong destinations, supply dumps set ablaze, among other things. Some of the most celebrated names, like Matthias Shaw, Renzik "the Shiv", Flint Shadowmore and others, were instrumental in bringing down several of the Horde supply dumps, which caused massive problems in addition to Goblin corruption. In particular, two agents under Matthias Shaw attained prominence during and after the War as well - Adam Boxley and Kirlothenin Dawnwhisper. Adam was human and Kirlothenin was a Blood Elf who had defected to the Alliance. Their tales are more fact than fiction, as many will agree, and are recounted in the memoirs of High Druid Dormir - "_The True Elves_". However, both men deserve special attention, and as such, their most famous exploits are retold here.

First we begin with Adam Boxley - or to use his title, Lord Adam Boxley of Stormwind. This unsual combination of the Stormwind Noble and special agent of SI:7 was to prove intriguing. With just the right combination of suave persuasion and ruthlessness on the field, he was a force to be reckoned with.

This man had a team of mostly rogues, a human rogue named Maggie Strom, a Worgen druid named Royce, a Worgen rogue called Davis and a Dwarven paladin named Lightcore. This team was mostly active in Silverpine Forest and Gilneas, where they co-ordinated closely with Gilneas Liberation Front irregulars. Theoretically, and in practice as well, they answered to none, save for Darius Crowley and Matthias Shaw of SI:7, who had given them a free hand to do whatever was needed to harass the Horde's delicate jugular.

His base was in Dandred's Fold, where most of the Syndicate had been wiped out by the advancing Forsaken Military and was now abandoned. From this base, this small team snuck out to viciously strike at the Forsaken troop carriers and Supply Caravans, which were mostly unguarded or manned by Goblin troops. Where the Forsaken controlled Caravans rolled through, most of the escort would be killed, with only a lone survivor who would be dragged back for interrogation and eventual execution. While they did get perilously close to detection several times, they would escape, in no small part due to Adam's resourceful nature of scavenging several Forsaken corpses and propping them up so as to make it look absolutely normal to the Forsaken scouts who flew over the area _(by this time, no one cared about the region around Lordamere_).

One of his particularly daring raids was in Silverpine Forest. In this he was assisted considerably by Lord Ravenholdt of the Assassin's League (_as well as his own rather deep pockets_). Word had come that one of The Blightcallers' most reputed Commanders, Dark Ranger Thyala was halting in Ambermill (_which had been overrun at the start of the invasion_) while on her way to the Frontline to take command of the Forsaken 3rd Infantry Division _(this division was meant to be the spearhead to Ironforge_). Adam was hellbent on making sure this wouldn't happen. Hence, preparations were made in great haste to bring about her demise.

On that day, Maggie Strome quietly entered Ambermill and hid herself in the vicinity of Thyala's quarters in the dilapidated inn. With her was a neural agent concocted by Ravenholdt alchemists, designed to put it's victims into a trancelike state in which they would obey all orders. Roughly around mid-afternoon, Royce, Lightcore and Davis raised hell near the gates of Ambermill. Royce flew in from above, transforming himself to a bear just before he hit the ground and charged at the stunned Forsaken soldiers guarding the gate, which prompted several soldiers to run to the gate, leaving the Ranger mostly unguarded - there was only one guard with her. Davis kept up a dance of death with the startled and unprepared Forsaken soldiers, while Lightcore furiously kept on healing both men as they kept up their assault. As the commotion at the gate increased, the wily human leapt up to the Ranger's Deathguard, killing him instantly, and before the Ranger could even utter the beginnings of a startled cry, the chemical was in her face. It had it's effect without even a minute of delay. Within moments, the Ranger became submissive and obedient to Agent Strome.

The moment this happened, Strome activated a runestone that she carried, which signaled Adam to blow up a small munitions crate just beside the eastern wall of Ambermill. Unfortunately for the Forsaken, the Eastern wall was stacked with weapons and supplies, some of them highly volatile, and all shifted to that position surreptitiously by Ravenholdt rogues, who had sneaked in while the commotion was growing at the gate. Nearly all the buildings in the area were shaken to the ground with the force of the explosion that ripped through the area, which had the additional advantage of killing all the Forsaken officers lodged within them. It shattered the Forsaken troops tremendously, and it practically degenerated into a slaughtering ground after that, with Adam ordering a general assault on the base. Within an hour, every Forsaken in the base was dead. The only Horde surviviors were a Blood Elven liason officer and a Goblin Requisitions officer, who were dragged away to Ravenholdt Manor and interrogated for intelligence on Horde supply dumps and movement routes.

Not too long after the capture of the area, the Dark Ranger was ruthlessly tormented for information, names, places, dates - anything which could be of use. And once this was done, she was just as coldly executed by the Paladin Lightcore by repeated applications of Holy Energy. To keep the secret, the surviviors of the Dalaran crater _(mostly Kirin Tor Mage Infantry_) were moved in and a protective shield erected around the base, which gave a deceitful illusion of the area being empty. Adam also shifted his base of operations here, deeper into Silverpine Forest.

The Kirin Tor presented a problem that both Agents Dawnwhisper and Boxley referred to as "_walking a tightrope over a river of molten lava._" Theoretically, the Kirin Tor had pledged neutrality in the conflict, wanting to preserve Dalaran as a sanctuary for all on Azeroth. In reality, the Silver Covenant (_which controlled much of Dalaran's Magocracy_) was radically opposed to any form of reconcilation or neutral positioning and wanted nothing more than the destruction of the Horde. As such, most of the Dalaran "_preservers_" in Hillsbrad were highly trained Kirin Tor Mage Infantry, who were instructed to harass and destroy any targets of value to the Horde. They also worked in utter secrecy with the aforementioned SI:7 agents, with remarkable success. Particularly after the recapture of Ambermill, there was a considerable flow of supplies to the infiltration teams, which made the task of sabotage somewhat easier for them.

The fact that the Kirin Tor secretly supported the Alliance all along during the war was exemplified by the commissioning of statues of the two aforementioned Agents in Crystalsong Forest, in front of the Portal into Dalaran, after the war. To this day, they are the only SI:7 officers to be commemorated this way, and one of a select few who were done so in their lifetime.

(EndLine)

Now we concern ourselves with Kirlothenin Dawnwhisper. Unlike most Blood Elves, this Mage had a level of discipline and restraint that even High Elves would be hard put to reach. He was also fairly tolerant of every species (_a remarkable characteristic among Blood Elves at that time_), with the exception of the Undead. He had more personal reasons to ensure the downfall of Forsaken Power - his wife N'Lar had been raised into Undeath during the Third War and was now serving within the ranks of the Forsaken. She had even attempted to kill him, which soured his memory even more than before - to the point where he was willing to do anything which could result in her release from her torment in Undeath i.e. her killing.

However, his assistance was remarkable. And it is safe to say that most of the delays experienced by the EKEF were directly caused by the products of his ruthless and cold, hard calculation. His team comprised of solely Blood Elves, all of whom had defected at varying times from the Horde and had pledged allegiance to Stormwind. With a Priest of the Shadow called Thedas, three Rogues - Alren, Kyras and Beryl _(each proficient in the three Rogue disciplines of Assasination, Combat and Subtlety_), a warlock called Demophon and a Mage named Sunstrike, this small team was instrumental in counter-intelligence, neutralisation of Horde agents in Hillsbrad, Silverpine and Tirisfal, as well as theft of plans and schematics from the Undercity and even Silvermoon, where they could easily pass as Horde officers due to their race. Crowley once remarked "_If I had but a garrison of men like Dawnwhisper and Boxley, I could yet claim all of Gilneas as my own, and not Greymane's._"

His base of operations was a small dungeon-like cave facing Lordamere Lake, where his wife Ileeya and his daughter Adorei had been imprisoned for some time along with some of his old comrades. It was here that he carried out most of the planning and preparation for the ruthless sabotage and assassinations that plagued the Forsaken authorities, since most of his targets were either Forsaken Governors, Provost Officers or Dark Rangers. A few were captured and brought into the cave, where they were interrogated, sometimes even more brutally than Boxley himself would have. However, he differed in one critical characteristic - he mostly planned and sent his agents to do the work, unlike Adam who often went with his teams and personally supervised the job. In a few cases however, he did personally supervise the tasks, where the risks were simply too high. Unlike Adam, he had no need for excessive concealment, since his base was practically undetectable unless one sent a ground team to comb every nook and cranny of the low range of hills around Lordamere Lake, since the cave mouth was most cunningly concealed with foliage, so as to fool even the sharpest of eyes.

Some examples of his actions in Silverpine are narrated here,

_Interrogating an Undead Provost Officer -_

**Kir** : You do yourself no service with this stubbornness. Tell us what we want to know - of the time of the next Goblin Supply Caravel to arrive in Gilneas, and I'll stop.  
>(<em>scream of pain, flickers of Light energy are visible around the Forsaken as he is drenched in Light by Thedas<em>)  
><strong>Prisoner<strong> : To the nether with you, filthy traitor! I'll never betray the Banshee Queen! You hea-**AAAARGH!**  
><strong>Kir<strong> : I assure you, we have all day and all night and several more days after that to question you. And believe me, my patience is running thin.  
><strong>Prisoner<strong> : Do your worst! I challe-**YEAAARGH!**  
><strong>Kir<strong> : (_sighing_) Why must it always come to this. Demophon, you know what must be done.  
>(<em>a wave of dark energy crashes down on the undead man, making him scream in terror and vainly struggle against his bonds<em>)  
><strong>Demophon<strong> : His mind is much weakened now. Try going in.  
><strong>Kir<strong>: Good work.

_(Kirlothenin manipulates his hands in various gestures, drawing a Circle of Power to Mind Control the undead man, the Priest casting his own Psychic Scream followed up by a Mind Control spell. The undead man screams some more, frothing at the mouth with bile and acid, but suddenly falls limp. He looks up again, but his face is now blank, all rage having been drained away._)

**Kir** : Want to talk?  
><strong>Prisoner<strong> : What can I tell you, masters?  
><strong>Kir<strong> : When is the Goblin Supply Caravel arriving in Gilneas? What does it contain?  
><strong>Prisoner<strong> : (_rapidly babbling_) The ships will arrive in three days time, sir. They are all filthy Goblin ships, but very undermanned. They have a cargo of Engineered Weapons, Ammunition for the Siege Engines, some Medical Crates and some Reagent crates for the Caster units. There are five ships, sir. Very easy target. I can also tell you the names of the men commanding them, sir. And what's more...  
><strong>Kir<strong> : Alright, that's quite enough. No, that's enough. Shut Up! Thedas, put him to sleep. Demophon, paralyse this filth.  
>(<em>Kirlothenin walks out as the man falls asleep.<em>)  
><strong>Kir<strong> : Strike! Get over here!  
><strong>Str<strong> : Yes, Kirlothenin, sir? What do you need?  
><strong>Kir<strong> : Stop your fawning and open a portal to Stormwind Stockades, Cellblock Four, Chamber Three. It should have an anti-magic ward. Tell an inquisitor to stand by, we're sending a very important captive through. Also, tell Kyras to see me.  
><strong>Str<strong> : Yes, yes, of course! I'll be on it right away.  
>(<em>Sunstrike runs off to make the portal<em>)  
><strong>Kir<strong> : Crazy girl...(_shakes his head_) I'd better put in that block in that Provost's mind so that the Inquisitor can begin his questioning without delay. That should make things easier for the Humans...  
>(<em>Kyras fades out next to Kirlothenin and bows<em>)  
><strong>Kya<strong> : You called?  
><strong>Kir<strong> : Good to see you. Have you managed to contact the Scarlet Emissaries?  
><strong>Kya<strong> : I have. The fools were more than willing to co-operate in raising hell in Tirisfal. They did make sure I was of the living first by bathing me in Holy Light. Since it had no effect, they didn't argue much.  
><strong>Kir<strong> : Fanatics though they may be, they have the ferocity needed. I'll go and see them myself to convince them of the vital need to assault Agamand Mills. We need to stop that Plague Virus production as fast as we can.  
><strong>Kya<strong> : Should I bring the schematics for Agamand Mills?  
><strong>Kir<strong> : Yes...yes, that'll be useful. Bring it to me. And ask the rest of the team to come as well. This has to be done perfectly, else it'll be disastrous. Send word to Agent Boxley as well, he'll be needed sooner than he thinks.

_Assaulting a Horde supply route (in co-operation with Adam's team) -_

**Kirlothenin:**Ah, at last. I was beginning to think that caravan might never show up.

(_Caravan slowly advances along the Silverpine Road near the Sepulcher. Kir is in tattered Silvermoon robes, taken from a Magister who had been killed not a day before, his face streaked with dirt and blood to make it look like he's been in a fight_)

**Kir** : (_loudly_) Hey, HEY! I need some help! (_staggers forward, leaning on his mage staff_, _roleplaying a wounded man_)  
>(<em>Caravan halts. A Goblin soldier jumps out.<em>)  
><strong>Goblin<strong> : By Jastor's left big toe, wha' do we have 'ere? What happened, girl? Someone hit you up?  
><strong>Kir<strong> : (_mildly incensed_) I'm not female, you imbecile. I'm Magister Dawnwhisper of the Silvermoon 2nd Mage Infantry Division, 1st Battalion. I was ambushed by filthy Alliance spies, and I demand that you assist me in reaching Tarren Mill so I can brief my superiors!  
><strong>Goblin<strong> : (_snapping to attention and saluting_) Uh...sorry sir. Kinda was hard to tell since you had long hair and soft features an'...ah nevermind (_Kir glares a little more_). Awright, awright, I give! We'll take ye there. Hop in.  
>(<em>Caravan travels along quietly till Ambermill<em>)  
><strong>Kir<strong> : How many men in the Caravan?  
><strong>Goblin<strong> : Eh, wha'? Wha'?  
><strong>Kir<strong> : (_a little forcefully_) I said, how many men in the caravan, Trooper? Or are you deaf?  
><strong>Goblin<strong> : Sorry, sir. Um...there's some twelve guys in four wagons. We're carrying reagents and shi- oh sorry, I mean't'say stuff, and hence, leetle less men to guard. Pykk gets angry to pay more of us for guarding it.  
><strong>Kir<strong> : How many are Forsaken?  
><strong>Goblin<strong> : Odd ye should ax, sir. An'how, there's 'bout sevvin Undead pukes in the last Caravan. "Speshul Delivery" they said, an' hence, they came along.  
><strong>Kir<strong> : Do you think they're carrying Plague Tanks?  
><strong>Goblin<strong> : Umm...I dunno, sir. Smelt like Kodo Piss, so probably ye, it's Plague awright.  
><strong>Kir<strong> : (_growls_) End of the line.  
>(<em>with alarming swiftness, Kirlothenin sets off a Firebolt into the sky<em>)  
><strong>Goblin<strong> : (_trembling, scrabbling around his seat for his rifle_) Wha'? Wha'? WHA'?

_(Kirlothenin hits him hard across the face, knocking him out)_  
><em>(Caravan halts abruptly. All of a sudden, several figures descend upon it, crawling out from trenches beside the road. A fierce battle ensues, in which the Goblins turn upon some completely surprised Foraken soldiers, killing them - obviously mind controlled by Thedas. A bear (<span>Royce<span>) rips apart a two Goblin Riflemen as they try to stop the Priest, while Rogues dismantle the Caravan's riggings and wreck it's engines, which promptly go up in smoke due to unreliable Goblin technology. Lightcore comes up and hammers away at another rigging, while Sunstrike Pyroblasts the crates in the Forsaken Caravan, destroying the Plague tanks that had been stored there in the process.)_

**Adam** : (_coming out of Stealth_) Man. Kir, you look like a...  
><strong>Kir<strong> : Shut. It.  
><strong>Adam<strong> : (_placatingly raises his hands_) Alright, alright. Lighten up, eh? We got another caravan. That's reason enough to be funny.  
><strong>Kir<strong> : (_sniffs in disdain_) Whatever you say. (_calming down_) But you guys seriously pulled off a tough job really well. What's the status?  
><strong>Adam<strong> : All Forsaken killed, two Goblins captured - one of them is your driver. Most of the reagents are intact, and there are some crates of food. Plus, your airhead mage destroyed some pretty foul crap in the last caravan. Was it Plague?  
><strong>Kir<strong> : Probably. Well, at least she can do something right. What do you suggest we do with the supplies?  
><strong>Adam<strong> : Well, I suggest we keep half of each crate, and send the rest to the GLF chaps. They were most helpful in pinpointing the Caravan route, so it's only fair they get it.  
><strong>Kir<strong> : Fair enough. Just send some reagents over to me as soon as you can, we're almost out.  
><strong>Adam<strong> : Sure. What do we do with the Goblins?  
><strong>Kir<strong> : Hm...who's the higher ranking Goblin?  
><strong>Adam<strong> : The Driver. He's a Corporal. The other chap is just a logistics officer.  
><strong>Kir<strong> : (_grimly_) Send the Driver to me. You can take the other Goblin apart if you want. But no killing.  
><strong>Adam<strong> : I hear that. No killing unless needed. And oh yeah, thanks. I owe you one.  
><strong>Kir<strong> : You owe me three drinks. Be sure to give them once we're out of this hellhole.  
>(<em>Adam walks away, grinning. Sunstrike comes up to Kirlothenin<em>)  
><strong>Str<strong> : Hey, why are you dressed like a Magister who's been to one of Lord Saltheril's parties?

* * *

><p><em><strong>I know, I know, I digressed from the main story a bit. But hey, giving a balanced outlook of all fighters in this War are necessary!<br>Let me know what you people think. Is there anything specific you guys want to see happening? If so, post it to me and I'll see how I can work it in. With the relevant details, naturally.  
><strong>_


	6. Part III Chapter 1

**Part III - Iron Fist in a Plate Glove  
><strong>

**Chapter 1 - Khaz Modan Burns**

* * *

><p><em>"The Dwarves are finished!"<em>  
><em>"I must say, it is beginning to look uncommonly like it."<em>

The fragmentary exchange above was heard between The Blightcaller and Worg-Commander Jeztor on the eve of the assault on Loch Modan. Upto this point, there had been relatively little resistance, owing to Kurdran Wildhammer's continuous retreat. Also, the EKEF was flush with the victories in the Wetlands, with the utter torching and slaughter of Menethil Harbour. The sack had all but destroyed the vital port town, and only the Dockyards were in any state of repair. However, the port was of little use to the Forsaken, since Goblin shipping was still landing supplies in Gilneas and Southshore. A shift at this moment would require time, and the Forsaken were confident that it would not be necessary, their enormous losses sustained in the Wetlands notwithstanding.

However, Tol Barad remained a prickly issue - for it was under no one's grip. This island grouping was just a little way off the coast of the Wetlands, and it was a dangerously unprotected jugular in the side of the Forsaken. For it was still heavily contested between the Baradin's Wardens and Hellscream's Grasp. However, the main tide of the war was still focused on the mainland, and it was assumed that there would be little need to retake Tol Barad until after the fall of Ironforge. Hence, most of the supplies and troopships ignored this island for a long time. There was to be a rude awakening, but that tale is for another time.

To return to the present topic, the EKEF was still pushing deeper into Dun Morogh. However, there were some problems. Notably, the Frostwolves had halted their advance and were no longer in the vanguard of the assault. This was because their Battle-Worgs, hardy animals though they were, were simply too fatigued to carry out any major assault until they received some rest. Most of the riders were also fatigued, considering the fact that they had been continuously fighting for over two weeks without respite, often for 17 hours at a stretch. Hence, the advance force into Loch Modan consisted of the 2nd Forsaken Infantry Division, with three battalions of heavy infantry. An armored battalion, the 3rd from the 1st Siege Division, was also attached to this force, with a strength of some 40 Engines. These were top-of-the-line engines, fully automated and in some ways a direct counter to the Alliance Armor. However, this force was significantly slower in its advance, trading in momentum for sheer attack power. It also made them vulnerable in a way, as shall be seen.

Another issue was erratic supply. The reasons for this were seen in the last chapter, but also due to inclement weather. For the Winter was setting in slowly, and while not as severe as Northrend, did hinder troop and supply movement. Also, for the first time in recorded history, there was snowfall in Loch Modan, ostensibly due to the erratic changes wrought upon the land by the emergence of the dreaded Twilight spire (_by then destroyed_) in the east. Snow was the Dwarf's friend, and the Dwarf intended to use it's help in every way.

* * *

><p>When the Forsaken finally launched their assault in the middle of the Fourth Week since the War began, the 2nd Division faced little to no resistance in Loch Modan. In fact, save for some stiff fighting near Algaz Station, there was little to hinder the Forsaken advance. It seemed Army Group Defender was simply pulling back, and the only problems the Forsaken faced was clearing out the Defiles and Blockades that were being thrown in their way by the retreating Alliance forces, as well as assaults on their flanks by Troggs and Ogres. To get an idea of their advance, the Forsaken, pouring in from the Wetlands, struck out like a Trident, only to find near empty space. Their advance was mostly along the western bank of the now dry Loch, with a small prong of mixed units circling around the Loch to strike from the eastern bank.<p>

This situation of near total advance seemed suspicious to the Blightcaller, but he decided to continue in any case, since halting at a time like this would seem ridiculous, not to mention the fact that Sylvanas, directing the advance from the Undercity, would object to any sort of halt. This situation was annoying to the Blightcaller, but he bore it without argument, more out of respect for Sylvanas rather than any form of strategic or political motives. The easy march would persist right until Thelsamar, where Army Group Defender had set up some fortifications to further delay the advancing Forsaken armies (_the reasons for this delay were inexplicable to the EKEF, but will be known later on_).

At Thelsamar, the Alliance had set up it's "_Elfblooders_" in the rear, as short range artillery, while four rifle companies _(some 500 men in all_) formed a protective screen in front of Thelsamar. Supporting them were the remaining units of their division, the 4th Infantry, which was remarkably at full strength. Two Divisions, all infantry, were told to continue into Dun Morogh, where they were to fortify Kharanos.

When the Battle of Thelsamar opened up, the Forsaken deployed just one Heavy Infantry Battalion, under the impression that there would be little effort needed to punch through the screen. This illusion was shattered, as they were firmly repelled with quite some casualties, thanks to rapid rifle fire from the very discplined Dwarven Riflemen. Another Battalion was sent in two days later, also with little or no effect on the screen, and being repelled by melee troops. By day four, all three Battalions, including the mixed units prong, were investing Thelsamar, in a desperate attempt to beat away the Dwarves, which was slowly turning into a battle of attrition, with the Forsaken suffering heavily. The 1st Mechanised proved highly effective in their artillery role, deterring the Siege Battalion that had been deployed against them.

The Blightcaller was puzzled. Why was there such an anvil (_two fully armed Divisions, to be precise_) in front of Thelsamar? It had little or no strategic value, and was a minor town, so why was the Alliance defending it so stubbornly? What was the Alliance planning? The answer to this came just a day before the last of the week.

By now, the advance resembled a huge spear thrusting toward Thelsamar. The terrain prevented the deployment of additional units, hence it assumed the form of a narrow salient. In the early morning of the last but one day, the Forsaken rearguard at Algaz Station was taken by surprise by a large force of - of all the things in this world - Worgen, supported by Human infantry, who violently attacked them, and severed the link between the bulk of their forces in the Wetlands. Simultaneously, from the Loch came masses of Ram-Mounted Dwarves, who proceeded to harass the flanks of the advance force. Unbenkownst to the Blightcaller, his advance force had been led into a cleverly laid trap in Loch Modan. Another two Alliance Divisions, one of which was Gilnean in it's entirety, had completely encircled the Forsaken forces, their presence in Loch Modan being hidden thanks to the distraction at Thelsamar. It was a classic Hammer-to-Anvil move, overseen by Kurdran and Darius.

What followed next was an almost perfect inclosure of the EKEF advance. The Blightcaller did attempt to relieve his forces by deploying another Infantry Battalion, the 3rd Heavy Infantry - 6th Division, but they were unable to break the chain. By the third day of the next week (_the Fifth Week_), the entire Forsaken advance had frozen, with the 2nd Forsaken Infantry having been completely annihilated. The loss of the new Siege Engines was also complete, with almost all being destroyed or captured. Having done this, the Gilneans proceeded with collapsing the North Gate Pass, to deny an additional access lane into Dun Morogh.

Almost incredibly, the moment after the North Gate was collapsed, the Alliance again began to fall back into Dun Morogh, abandoning Thelsamar. The Blightcaller realised, only too late, that the whole objective had been to trap and destroy as many of his forces as possible. It was just pure luck that ensured that only one Division was lost, though the loss of the New Engines was irredeemable. What he did not know was that the Battle of Thelsamar had also been a delaying action. For the precious days of good going over smooth roads in fine weather were slipping past, and the Winter was coming, the effects of which his troops were not ready to deal with. The delays persisted right until they reached the Valley of Heroes, where they finally halted to resupply and refit while the Alliance retreated. The Silvermoon Units, the two Mage Infantry Divisions, were assigned with fortifying the South Gate Pass and setting up a checkpoint for the EKEF troops. This was a wise precaution in itself, but one which future events were to prove useless.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the Alliance was in hasty preparations for the inevitable counterattack into Dun Morogh, aimed straight at Ironforge. It became clear that more men and machines were needed. Which meant that the Horde had to be delayed long enough for reinforcements to get to Dun Morogh and relieve Army Group Defender. It would take another week for the reinforcements from Stormwind to show up, traveling as they were from the Burning Steppes (<em>see end of Part II Chapter 1<em>). Meanwhile, the eight Divisions in Dun Morogh would have to hold on somehow.

Brann Bronzebeard was not unaware of the situation. He knew something had to be done to provide at least some semblance of a reserve force to back up Kurdran's troops. Hence, he was able to persuade Moira Thaurissan to get her forces to help, and she took up the challenge, and went on a swift Gryphon to Blackrock Mountain, to bring the Dark Iron Army (_just over 2000 soliders, but it was enough_) to backup the defence of Dun Morogh. They would arrive, and play their part in a most unusual fashion, earlier than the Stormwind reinforcements. Meanwhile, Kurdran's brother Falstad was appointed by Crowley to oversee the defence of Dun Morogh. This decision was important in it's own right, but it's impact when viewed from the perspective of the overall picture, was probably the prime reason for the Alliance's determination in the weeks to come.

As such, a week after the Battle of Thelsamar, the Forsaken were pushing into Dun Morogh. The only entrance into the valley now was the South Gate Pass, which was defended by two Blood Elven Mage Infantry Divisions. Another two Forsaken Infantry Divisions and a Frostwolf Corps under Mulverick were held in reserve near Algaz Station (_called Hell's Breach by the Horde_). They were held back mostly due to fatigue and refit issues, though tactical sense was also a motive in holding them back. The Blightcaller was now highly impatient, and had rather ambitiously deployed nearly the _entire EKEF_ into the region.

For Ironforge was not merely a military target, it had by now assumed massive political overtones, both for the Horde and the Alliance. The Horde was hellbent on taking the city that birthed the greatest Dwarven heroes that had beaten back the Old Horde, and the Alliance was equally determined to keep control of a city that evoked strong passions in every dweller of the Eastern Kingdoms. More importantly, the one who held Ironforge would have control of Gnomeregan, which was the backbone for much of Alliance technology and warfare. Irresistably to the EKEF, the Alliance looked like it had backed itself into a corner in Dun Morogh, for the only entrance and exit to the region was now under Horde control, and it seemed unlikely that they would be losing it any time soon.

* * *

><p>The EKEF offensive was called Operation Deathknell, and it had exactly one objective - the capture of Ironforge. Their offensive opened up on the third day of the sixth week, with a massive sweeping move across southern Dun Morogh, overrunning the Gol'Bolar Quarry and it's surrounding regions, including the Amberstill Ranch. However, it took them the better part of three days to advance as far as Amberstill Ranch.<p>

The reasons for this delay are principally - the Weather, the Mountaineers, and Fortifications. Only now did Nathanos Blightcaller realise the reason behind the delays he was experiencing throughout the campaign, as well as the Battle of Thelsamar. For nearly _every_ road, pass and snow-wadi had been blockaded by trench wire, earthworks, hidden ditches and mazes of traps, all of which were manned by the retreating Alliance Divisions of Army Group Defender, totalling some 15,000 soldiers. All these were further watched over from the surrounding hills by the Ironforge Mountaineer Corps, a paramilitary force responsible for guarding Dun Morogh - it had some 2000 troops, and comprised entirely of Rifle-Troops, men and women who had spent their lives fighting the snow and fighting in it. Their intricate knowledge of every ledge, every pass and every road made them formidable opponents, despite their small numbers against nearly 25,000 Forsaken Soldiers, 200 Siege Engines and 250 Worg-mounted Orcs.

To add to the woes of the EKEF, a particualrly nasty blizzard picked up on the second day of the Offensive, reducing the range of visibility of their forces, and thus making them more prone to the machinations of the clever Dwarves. Also, the snow of Dun Morogh was unlike the snows of Northrend. In Northrend, the snow and ice could freeze the ground solid in a matter of hours, making swift movement realtively easy. Here, the snow was soft, and melted easily. This, coupled with vicious weather, turned most of the tracks across the region completely sodden, muddy and slush-filled, making it near unsupportable for the bulky seige engines, and even the Battle-Worgs, which floundered in the snow, forcing the advance to move at a crawl.

Even more annoyingly for the Forsaken, their Plague Spewers were completely useless in the weather. The wind and the snow made it such that in the few cases that they could squeeze off a few shots, it either dispersed so widely so as to be of minimal effect, or worse - it headed back into their own troops, causing massive casualties as a result - euphemistically termed in the logs as "_Friendly Fire_".

However, the EKEF still had the advantage of numbers on their side. They used tactics of literally overwhelming numbers to crush the defences. It wasn't the most effective tactic, but unfortunately it was the only one that was viable for them at that time. The result of this unhappy situation was that they suffered horrendous casualties in those three days - almost 7,000 men. It was more than their losses in the entire campaign so far, a fact which did little to improve prospects. It became obvious that this was a battle of attrition, and the one who could imprison the opponent in a wall of bodies first would win the day.

Following the capture of Amberstill, the EKEF continued it's slow crawl across Dun Morogh, eventually reaching the narrow pass between Kharanos and Anvilmar, as well as the pass leading to Steelgrill's Depot. The presence of a small hill effectively broke their assault into two prongs, surrounding Kharanos like a vice. However, by the time they actually were in a position to assault Kharanos, it was the middle of the seventh week of the invasion, and the weather had worsened steadily for them. By then, their forces were dead beat with the cold, the exhausting fighting through tenacious snow, and the slow rate of replenishment from their supply lines - a direct outcome of the actions of SI:7 in Silverpine and Gilneas.

* * *

><p>The Alliance, for once was in a relatively superior position. Most of the troops had fully rested up and had been replenished, being sent ahead into Dun Morogh. They had had time to acclamatise, to put up the defences, prepare thoroughly. And they had utilised the time efficiently. This was due in no small part due to Falstad Wildhammer's persistence, driving the men hard, yet caring for them more like his children rather than soldiers - ensuring their every need was met and every discomfort assuaged to the best possible. His bullying booming voice was heard so many times over the field in those weeks of buildup that most soldiers would feel uneasy if for a day he didnt show up. Crowley himself, in a remarkable display of command prowess, had been leading the pincer strike that had so devastated the Forsaken at Algaz Station, with Kurdran commanding the forces at Thelsamar. It had been a case of perfect leaders at the right time - a rarity in any military operation.<p>

Army Group Defender, by the time the EKEF reached Dun Morogh, had changed considerably from the disheartened and disorderly mob that had been attempting to hold back the tide of the Horde in Arathi and the Wetlands. It was now a highly determined, and considerably better equipped force than it had been at the beginning of the campaign. Much against the grim overtones from King Wrynn and his council of nobles, Kurdran and Darius had pulled off a near perfect retreat and rearguard action, allowing their men to recuperate and re-equip themselves, while at the same time keeping the Horde at arm's length. Dun Morogh resembled a fortress in itself, with a combination of natural barriers and artificial blockades. They were highly confident that they could now beat back the EKEF, and keep Ironforge safe.

* * *

><p>On the fifth day of the seventh week, the Battle of Kharanos opened up to a massive barrage from horde Seige Engines. The EKEF had deployed all three Siege divisions line to line in a near unbroken chain, all pounding away at Kharanos, to batter away at the Dwarves. Alliance artillery, coming in from Ironforge itself and some from the two Armored Divisions guarding the only access lane to Ironforge. Never have the gunners on both sides been so unpopular as they were then - for nearly a whole day, the din of the firing was tremendous and almost uninterrupted. Under this bombardment, men on both sides cowered, numbed with the cold, the intensity of the fire and the noise.<p>

The barrage from both sides finally lifted the nest day, and the EKEF launched a full-scale assault on Kharanos from both sides. However, they were in a very disadvantageous position. In the narrow mountain passes, relatively few units could maneuver, while the Alliance had in effect "Hedgehogged" itself in and around Kharanos with 16,000 men, a menacing and near impregnable barrier. The outer ring of defences was mostly Rifle-Troops, followed by an inner ring of Polearm-wielding soliders, followed by a final ring of standard troops, viciously reinforcing each other. Backed as they were by Ironforge artillery and their own Armor, it was a horrible situation for the Forsaken.

The Horde Air Force was not much use. For one, the weather was inclement for their Dragonhawks. And another problem was a revival of activity from the Alliance Air Force. For Commander Fullthrottle had received the upgraded fighters for his troops at last, and continual sorties from New Tinkertown and Ironforge Airfield harassed the Forsaken lines continuosly, which the Blood Elven Pilots were unable to effectively counter. It was a classic case of Machines over Organics, for the Dragonhawks were completely unreliable in the weather, whereas the Alliance Turbo-Gyrocopters, Mega-Bombers and Flying Machines were all-weather vehicles. The Alliance was at a disadvantage though, since much of their Gryphonhawk section was effectively out of action for very much the same reasons as the Horde, meaning that the Wildhammers did not quite have the same effect on the Horde forces as they had in the Wetlands.

* * *

><p>Eventually, the Blightcaller hit upon a desperate plan for a full-fledged lunge at Ironforge. It was a make or break move, and it was highly risky, but the way things were going, it would take too long, perhaps the entire winter to acheive their objective. And that was something unacceptable. Simply put, he deployed ALL the Frostwolves to the frontline, in the hope that they could punch a hole through the Rifle-forces, wide enough for his Heavy Infantry to move in and make swift work of the Alliance position. For even a single breach could prove fatal, such was the intensity of the fighting around Kharanos. The frontline had solidified completely, and nothing short of a move like this seemed to be useful in breaking the stalemate.<p>

On the dawn of the first day of the Eighth Week, the last lunge at Kharanos was launched. And for a moment, it seemed that a breakthrough was going to be made, since the Dwarves, upon seeing the Frostwolves, promptly began retreating into Kharanos. The Battle-Worgs followed them eagerly, pushing them back. Right until the very edge of the town, where a mass of Polearm-Troops immediately poured out with one distinguishing feature - a polearm in their main-hand, a shield with a spike in their off-hand. These men formed up in front of the Battle-Worgs, and at first stood motionless, watching the Frostwolves bearing down upon them with equanimity.

Then, as they neared within running distance, all of them brought their shields up in a wall, the polearms pointing ominously out at the riders. And by then, it was too late for the Frostwolves to maneuver around. Most, if not all of the leading Worgs, died on the spears, often flinging their unfortunate riders into the Dwarven lines, where they were instantly killed. The bodies further clogged up the remaining Frostwolves, who tangled, and their rapidity faltered and eventually halted. Motionless and stuck, they were swiftly picked off by riflemen from the rooftops of Kharanos town. Within just half-an-hour, nearly every Frostwolf rider was either killed, badly wounded or was fleeing back to the Forsaken line in panic, often without his Worg under him. Within just half-an-hour, the best Orcish fighting force in the Eastern Kingdoms had been ground out and decimated, in what Darius Crowley referred to as his "_Porcupine_". _Out of 250 Battle-Worg riders, less than 14 were alive_, Commander Jeztor himself being a casualty, and only six if them had their Worgs still.

Immediately after this failed assault, the hedgehog broke open, and the entire Alliance Army Group rushed toward the Forsaken lines, sparking off an enormous battle. The Dwarves prevailed, thanks to continous air support from Commander Fullthrottle, and the Ironforge Mountaineers raining down fire on the Forsaken lines from their heights. In panic, most of the EKEF forces began a slow, fighting retreat, the Blightcaller deciding to regroup near the Gol'Bolar Quarry, before attempting any further action.

* * *

><p>That evening, near the South Gate Pass, a Blood Elven scout sighted three vehicles moving towards them. Their commander ordered them to take up arms, but after a few minutes, told them to stand down, as he identified the vehicles as Horde Coffin Haulers, bearing the mark of the 2nd Infantry Division from Hell's Breach. They were presumably reinforcements for the EKEF forces in Dun Morogh. Though the Commander was rportedly curious as to why there had been no notification of reinforcements arriving.<p>

The Coffin Haulers stopped a little way off from the blockade, and disgorged two hundred Death Knights, who promptly assaulted the Blood Elven Mages. The complete suddenness of the assault, as well as the Death Knight's relative superiority over Mage Infantry, quickly resulted in the blockade falling in short order - all of an hour of fighting. Both Blood Elven Infantry Divisions broke in complete rout, fleeing towards Hell's Breach, after having lost over half their men to Affliction, Ghouls and Runeblades. By midnight, The Dark Iron Army linked up with them, as well as the rest of the Ebon Blade - some 1000 Death Knights all told, and the Dark Iron Army of some 2000 soldiers, mostly Rifle-Troops, Warlocks and Geomancers. The first tenuous link that would result in the destruction of two-thirds of all Horde forces in the Eastern Kingdoms had been forged, and the turning point of the War in the Eastern Kingdoms had arrived.

* * *

><p><strong>My apologies for the delay. I had mid-terms, and they took up most of my time.<br>And in case you're wondering how a smaller force of DKs can overwhelm Mage Infantry, it's true. I know of BGs where two Death Knights, working in tandem, made short work of a Mage, a Warlock and a Holy Priest, with reasonably good gear on them all.**

**Also, Polearm-Troops are basically Fury Warriors with a Shield in the Off-Hand and a Polearm in the Main Hand. Not very good in-game, but tactically a lethal combination against mounted troops (want a game-based example? Try Shogun 2.)**

**The Kalimdor front needs you! your tactics are required. Tell me in PMs, in Reviews, how the Alliance should push back the Horde tide in Darkshore, in your opinion! What tactics should they use? What and whom should they deploy? How would you place them? Come up people, I need ideas!  
><strong>


	7. Part III Chapter 2

**Part III**

**Chapter 2 - Blood and Thunder**

* * *

><p><em>"What is the strongest weapon of the Night Elves? The Druids of Malfurion? No! The Sentinels? No! The Glaive? The Bow? The Blade? Not at all! Courage and courage alone stands above them all!"<em>

Famous as it is as it it is timeless, this cry was uttered by Sentinel Warlord Su'ura Swiftarrow on the eve of the Orcish assault into Darkshore. And in a way, she was right. For not only was Night Elven courage the strongest weapon, it remained in some ways, the only weapon, the only force multiplier they had at that present moment against the massive Horde forces arrayed against them. For the Night Elven frontline, at the even of the KO assault at the beginning of the Third Week of the War, was arrayed against some 10,000 Orc, Tauren and Troll troops, with some 350 Warsong Outriders as a Cavalry force. In sharp contrast, the Night Elves had barely some 1,500 soldiers, most of them ranged fighters, and some 20 Glaive Throwers, the remnants of the Maestra's Post forces. They formed no bulwark, but kept falling back, past the Master's Glaive and eventually halting in a defensive blockade near the Grove of the Ancients.

To say the situation was perilous is to understate the facts. Most of the Night Elves were already tired from the continuous fighting, many were wounded, but stubbornly holding out, knowing that no fighter could be spared. The Druids, the few that were available at that moment (_just about a hundred - a massive disproportion_) were exhausted and strung out. The situation was grave, but at least, near the Grove, they seemed to think they had a chance of holding out against the assault. The only outside help at that moment was the Weather, which was quite harsh, with continual rainfall and stormy squalls. The rough seas prevented reinforcement by the Horde Navy, and Goblin Zeppelins dared not venture out into Darkshore, already harassed by Stormcrow-form Druids in Ashenvale, and unwilling to expose their unpredictable machines to the fury of Darkshore's skies.

The Draenei were already enroute - their ships in visual range of Darkshore, as were Shandris Feathermoon's troops from Feralas - their ships were near the coast between Stonetalon and Asehnvale. Much of the Night Elven Navy was around the coast of Teldrassil and the northern coasts of Kalimdor. All these forces would arrive by the end of that very week in Darkshore. Which meant that the Night Elf blockade - which had been reorganised as Force Silverwind under the command of Archdruid Stormrage, General Feathermoon and Vindicator Kuros, had to hold till then. Fortunately, the fates itself seemed to to conspire in their favour, giving them some time to reorganise themselves, tend to their wounded, and prepare for the onslaught.

Fortunately for them, the frontline commander, Sentinel Warlord Swiftarrow, was highly intelligent, highly experienced and of a great spirit. She would not surrender so easily. And she was already formulating her plans of assault against the Horde, mad though it seemed at the moment. But that kind of insanity, as some Night Elven veterans have remarked wryly, was just what was needed to inspire the force at that moment. A precursor to the feral rage all Night Elves had, and which time itself had never succeeded in effacing even slightly.

* * *

><p>The Horde had quite the advantage. And most of the troops were relieved to be out of Ashenvale, which had bitter associations for them. Morale was high, but the men were somewhat concerned at the intensity of the climate they were in. Supplies were, however, becoming erratic due to continual raids on their Kodo and Machine-Trains by Night Elven rogues and Druids, who proved extremely diffcult to track and pursue. Added to this was the appearance of Worgen fighters, many of whom had made Darnassus their home - all of it ensured that the KO lost it's momentum. This wasn't that much of an issue for Saurfang and his Officers, who felt confident that a slow trawl across Night Elven territories would be just as effective, and which they privately considered an inescapable fact due to their forces being purely infantry, and little by way of Armoured formations. Gorlach's Seige Division had entrenched itself in Astranaar <em>(renamed New Grommash by the Horde)<em>, and in all likelihood would remain there for a while.

Had the High Command thought to consult their Shamans, they would not have been so lax in their assessment of the Night Elven threat. For the steady worsening of the weather was only partly natural. In reality, several Druids under Archdruid Stormrage had entrenched themselves in a depression in the centre of Darkshore _(where the Eye of the Vortex used to exist)_, and were invoking their already considerable powers of the Natural world around them, causing unnatural storms, making the forest grow poisonous under the Orcs, defiling the few lakes they could harness the water from, and the like. Moreover, the Draenei had sent Farseer Nobundo and a small force of Spiritwalkers _(the Draenei term for Shamans)_ into Darkshore as an advance force to their own Army, and these men and women were also meddling with the Climate, raising barriers of Earth, Water and Wind to harass the advancing Horde forces. However, much of the Horde military seemed oblivious to the erratic nature of the Natural Obstacles they were facing, and simply dismissed it as the Aftermath of the Cataclysm, which had still not faded from the land or from the collective memory of all Kalimdor.

The result of this ignorance was that the KO advanced very slowly into Darkshore, reaching the Night Elven frontline only around the third day of the advance. And even then, they did not attack immediately. While various reasons have been given for this inexplicable delay in attacking an already weakened Night Elven Army, the prime reason glares out without even the faintest shred of diguise - Arrogance. By that time, the complete and utter lack of resistance, as well as the scenes of desolation that advancing Horde troops had seen bred a insolence and arrogance within them, fueled further by the prevalent myth of Orcish invincibility, leading to a complacent overconfidence amongst not only the Sub-Commanders, but also Line troops, who felt victory was already theirs. It did not occur to them that there could be something amiss, that there could be some unforeseen event which could alter this rather advantageous prospect they were in.

Once the crises blew up the errors would multiply. And contrary to their belief, the first crisis was already brewing - straight from the empty wastes of Desolace.

* * *

><p>Just a day after the KO had ensconced itself near the Grove of the Ancients, the Horde Front-line in Stonetalon mountains crumbled completely after a massive assault on their rearguard. Initial reports were contradictory and muddled, but by the end of that day, the situation became alarmingly clear. The assaulting force was not an Alliance force - it was comprised entirely of Centaurs. These ferocious humanoids had long inhabited Desolace, and of late had grown in numbers, due in no small part to the Gelkis Clan taking over the ancient origination region of Maraudon from their rivals and feral Centaurs. Coalescing and growing in strength for some years, their numbers had swelled to the point where the Centaurs declared a Great Ride - a unyielding mass of Centaurs hell-bent on ensuring the destruction of all who stood in their way - most notably, their ancient enemies, the Tauren.<p>

Within two days, the Great Ride had completely overrun Stonetalon, and were assaulting the Stonetalon Pass - which had been enlarged by the Tauren during their battles with the Grimtotem, and which now offered a shorter route into the Stonetalon Mountains. It became fairly obvious to the alarmed Tauren forces that, unless they were reinforced, that Mulgore would soon be overrun as well. As such, Chieftain Baine Bloodhoof sent a desperate request to High Overlord Saurfang for troops. The request was flatly denied by the Orc commander - he needed the troops, particularly the Druids, for the next phase of his assault into Dustwallow Marsh and Darkshore. The Tauren Chieftain then appealed directly to Warchief Hellscream, again to no avail.

Realising that he would receive no help from the Horde armies officially - and incensed by the lack of concern over the threat to his homeland, the Chieftain took a rash decision - he sent out swift Windriders to all Tauren Military units in Kalimdor, ordering EVERY Tauren soldier, no matter where they were or their duties, to return forthwith to Thunder Bluff so that they could defend their beloved Mulgore from the Centaur Ride. And nearly every Tauren responded, the threat of Mulgore's fall being too much for them to contemplate. With the result that within just two days, the KO lost nearly 3,000 soldiers, most of them from the Night Elven frontline, as the panicked Tauren forces fell back to Mulgore to halt the Centaur tide.

Saurfang, enraged by what he felt was gross insubordination, furiously reported the incident to Warchief Hellscream. The reaction was, as some Orcs have put it mildly, extremely harsh. The Warchief sent an emissary to Thunder Bluff, with a letter that threatened, in no uncertain terms, of the charge of Treason against the Tauren. The Chieftain paid no heed, and brusqely responded that the control of Mulgore was far more important than any objective the Warchief might have. Further insults followed, and it finally resulted in the annoyed Tauren Chieftain severing all contact with Orgrimmar, and ignoring all missives until the Centaur threat was dealt with - a move which was almost equal to outright defiance and desertion from the Horde.

* * *

><p>Barely had the first crisis started than the second crisis erupted, this time on the coast of Ashenvale. The advancing Night Elven Navy, carrying General Feathermoon's troops, encountered the Horde Navy, which was still anchored on the edges of the Zoram Strand. A bitter naval engagement broke out, with the Horde Navy at a massive disadavantage - they were pinned by a rocky reef, beyond which they could advance no further, and the Night Elves had the advantage of not just surprise, but also faster and better protected and armed ships.<p>

The entire Horde Flotilla was either sunk or captured by Night Elven boarding troops, resulting in three captured ships and seven sunk. The three taken ships blockaded the Zoram'Gar Post, harassing them with arrow, ballistae and flame-bolts - perhaps the only major Naval bombardment in the entire war. The remaining Night Elven ships - without a single loss - continued on, dropping the troops at the strand near the Ruins of Auberdine, from where they marched on to the Grove of the Ancients, arriving in the evening of the last day of the week. At roughly the same time, the Draenei Troopships - four of them - received fresh orders from General Feathermoon, and rerouted their destination to Zoram'Gar, intending to carry out an amphibious assault on the post.

The reason for this order was a superb tactical victory scored by Sentinel Warlord Swiftarrow's actions. The wily Sentinel knew only too well that any sort of frontal assault on the Horde lines was tantamount to suicide, hence she devised a crazy, but very ambitious plan. And the fact that the Horde forces were delaying foolishly gave her the perfect oppurtunity. From the 1,500 soldiers under her command, she picked out all the ones who were exceptional for stealth and reconnaisance, especially Rogues, Druids and some very talented Huntresses. These few - some 180 troops, advanced by night, slowly skirting the ridges of Darkshore's western cliffs, until they went past the Horde lines, and prepared their surprise assault on their rear. And even this was unique in it's regard, though many called it insane and impossible.

On the sixth night of that week, the Horde troops were celebrating the Brew Festival, which had just arrived on that calendar date. Theoretically, it was a time of no hostile activity - but the Horde was confident there would be no threat. The Sentinels coldly disregarded the custom and prepared to assault that very night. There was also no moon, which greatly helped. Around midnight, much of the Horde frontline was asleep, with only a few sentries, mostly drunk from revelry, keeping vigil. Slowly and softly, the small force under Swiftarrow moved through the Horde Lines, killing many Horde Officers and troop-leaders in their sleep or half-awake. Among those to die under the blade that treacherous night was the Warsong Outrider Commander Kelm Hargunth. However, some Trolls, who were less stoned, rose and saw the bleeding corpses of their men, and raised the alarm. Upon hearing this, the small force quickly retreated, but in the process sabotaged some of the Siege Engines and set fires in several parts of the front-line, to add to the confusion and mask their escape. Save for twelve Rogues who were detected and killed, the entire force escaped with no other casualties, and by morning was back in it's own lines near the Grove of the Ancients. The Horde had lost some 670 men, nearly all of them Officers, which greatly sapped their morale and led to considerable indiscipline.

They immediately prepared for an assault, but uncoordinated as they were without the bulk of their Officers, it was ill-conceived. Added to this was that they no longer had the Tauren troops they had been promised, as all were retreating to Mulgore. Making the matter worse was the fact that on the very next day, General Shandris Feathermoon's forces arrived to reinforce the front, making the Night Elven strength swell up to some 12,000 troops. As such, when the Horde assault was launched on the morning of the First Day of the Fourth Week, it was uncoordinated, indisciplined and ill-planned. Pitted as they were against the brilliant, calculating and ruthless Shandris Feathermoon and Nu'ura Swiftarrow, it became a massacre for the KO. The Horde lost some 4,000 soldiers - among them nearly all their Warsong Outriders - in the assault, which simply broke over the whine of arrows, Glaives fromm the newly-arrived troops, and clouds of pestilent flies and locusts unleashed on them by the Druids under Malfurion Stormrage, who had moved up to the frontline to provide support.

The Battle for Darkshore raged for three days, and before the third day was over, most of the KO forces were fleeing in disorder towards Maestra's Post, where they hoped to regroup and await reinforcements. And at this moment the Third Crisis broke out - in Dustwallow Marsh.

* * *

><p>Hitherto, Saurfang's forces in the southern front had not encountered much in terms of resistance. Most of the Alliance forces were quite exhausted with months of fighting in unfamiliar terrain, and in adverse weather. However, the Theramore Armies were not subject to this strain. Their task, in contrast to the Alliance Expeditionary Forces, had beenr elatively easy - of clearing out Grimtotem Encampments and destroying Ogre Mounds. This had been concluded to satisfaction, and for the most part, the Forces of Theramore were in relatively good shape, high morale, and rested. Most importantly, many of them had spent the past Ten Years in Kalimdor, and were hardened to the land, in addition to pssessing a considerbale knowledge of the lay of the land as well as a heavily fortified stronghold in Dustwallow Marsh.<p>

As such, the threat to the Horde militaries was quite significant. However, at the time of their assault into the Marsh, they were merely dealing with the rearguard of the shattered remnants of the Alliance forces fleeing the Southern Barrens. This led to a mistaken conviction that the remainder of the assault on Theramore would be relatively easy, and that they would probably be in Theramore by the end of the week. Nothing could be further from the truth.

For the Theramore Garrison comprised four Fresh Infantry Divisions, and one fully upgraded Armored Division that had been sent by King Wrynn in the initial stages of the invasion of Kalimdor the previous year. In addition, nearly 250 Flying War machines, mostly Gyrocopters, were also present. Added to this was the 5th Sentinels from Northwatch Hold, which had remarkably escaped destruction, and the remnants of the Alliance forces, totalling almost one full division of mixed units, though this was kept in reserve, and would remain so until the end of the war.

The Horde had deployed four Infantry divisions into Dustwallow Marsh, as a result of faulty intelligence estimates. Three were retained in the Southern Barrens to pacify the region, and rebuild on the ruins of Alliance outposts. The four divisions also had the Kor"Kron Elite Corps attached to them, as the point of the spear. However, they had virtually no air cover, the most being a few Blood Elven reconnaisance Dragonhawks.

The offensive opened up at roughly the same time the Tauren Recall Order went out. Initially, they met with success, with virtually no resistance. The Horde advance followed the Theramore Highway, and had a relatively easy march, reacing Theramore by nightfall of the day they began. The next day, a frontal assault was launched upon Theramore, with the impression being that there would be little resistance. They were surprised when they were met with a barrage of Cannon fire, far greater than what they were expecting. This was followed by steady hammering of their troop-lines by waves of Gyrocopters dropping bombs upon the surprised Orcs. The Kor'Kron made little headway, their advance blunted by Repeater-Rifle fire from the Alliance Air units. This situation persisted right until nightfall, when the Horde assault finally broke off and they retreated behind the causeway leading to Theramore.

In effect, the narrow bridge to the island fortress had become a kill-zone. All the Harbour Cannons had been weeded out and positioned on the walls facing the causeway. Bow and Gun footmen manned the walls, picking off the Orcs as they rushed the gates. Also, the Gyocopters made it worse with their continual bombing runs and Repeater-Rifle fire, which further impeded the assault. Hence, within just one day, the abortive assault had cost the Horde nearly 1,200 men, whose corpses lay upon the causeway, some hanging from it, some having fallen off it and floating in the water below. Nearly half of the Kor'Kron Corps had also been lost, which was a bitter pill for Saurfang to swallow - he had trained many of them personally.

Unable to take the front by storm, the Orcs attempted to flank the island fortress and assault from the second causeway. This too ended with ill-result. While the second causeway was not as heavily reinforced - there being no cannons on that side - the Horde suffered casualties by what their soldiers described as "_Large Disks that burrowed out from underground when we stepped on them and exploded._" The Land-Mine had made it's appearance in Azeroth's Warfare. Pinned by mines, the troops struggled to get around them, while Dwarven sharpshooters on the walls calmly picked them off.

After four days of continuous fighting, it became obvious this was a very one-sided fight. Theramore was simply too strong to take by an over-land assault. And the very obvious way in which the Horde had attacked helped little, for it warned the defenders and their fight was all the more spirited. The attack also lacked imagination, an unsual trait when one considered who was leading them. Horde casualties were severe - they had come into the Marsh with 10,000 men, and they had been whittled down to a little over 5,000 in just four days. A call was sent out to the remaining three divisions in the Southern Barrens to reinforce Saurfang's belagured forces, with the reply being that it would take them the better part of three days to reach there. Barely had this reply been received when the Alliance landed their blow.

The Horde offensive was now centred purely toward the Highway-Gates of Theramore. The abortive assault towards the north had been called off after the reports of Land-Mines. This proved to be a fatal error. On the fifth night of the attack, the Horde encampment rose from a fitful slumber to the roar of Cannonnade, followed by a clash of arms at their rear. A strike force of two Infantry Divisions, led by Lady Proudmoore herself, had swung around from the secondary causeway, traveled through the Marsh for two days, and had patiently ensconced themselves on the Highway leading to the barrens, effectively surrounding the Horde forces, who had encamped on the Highway itself. At night, they had struck, launching red flares, which was the signal to the Theramore garrison to unleash the Armored forces on the Horde Lines.

The strike force acted as the anvil, while the Armor was appropriately called Task Force Hammer and pushed the beleaguered Orcs into a meatgrinder. The Horde resisted desperately, but all they did was delay until the morning, where a third dimension of assault broke upon them - the Gyrocopters. These assault-machines roared over them on the first light of the morning, and further harassed the already fitful Orcs. By the time midday rose, the Horde had suffered enormous losses, totalling almost 3,500 troops. The rest of the Horde force, just over 1,500 men - about three-fourths of a Division, somehow extricated itself from the trap and fled back to the entrance of the Southern Barrens, where they halted, more out of sheer exhaustion than any other reason. Saurfang had been wounded in the assault, but had managed to extract his men relatively successfully, even though he had suffered massive reverses.

* * *

><p>This marked the Third Crisis, and in culmination, the KO found itself suddenly and completely on the back-foot. After having enjoyed an almost unstoppable march, they had been brutally pushed back on all fronts, and the Alliance was now prepared to strike back hard at them. It was probably the most unexpected set of reversals suffered in recent history, and even today there is considerable debate on whether it was a planned move on the part of the Alliance, or simply a a matter of blind luck.<p>

But while such rhetorical questions are passed out, let us add one more. Did the Horde truly know of the costs of pushing the Alliance into a corner? Were they aware of what might happen should they fail, unthinkable though it seemed? For the reaping of their deeds was already on the Horizon, and it was destined to be more terrible than any action ever encountered, even by comparison of the First, Second and Third Wars.


	8. Part IV Chapter 1

**Part IV - The Tide Turns**

**Chapter 1 - The new Turalyon**

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><p><em>Our enemies are determined. They believe their numbers are overwhelming. They believe the Shadow guides them, and that their Dark Lady watches over them. Let them believe what they want to believe - they have ideals on their side, we have the Runeblades on ours. - Thassarian<em>

Things were looking sour for the EKEF since the unexpected arrival of the Ebon Blade in Loch Modan. The former warriors of Arthas proved a great deal more dangerous than they had been believed. And their fury was unrelenting and overwhelming to the unfortunate Forsaken and Blood Elf infantry, who fell before them like so much chaff before the winds of a storm. To make matters worse for them, the Dark Irons had shed whatever inhibitions they might have had in assisting Ironforge, due in no small part to the workings of Moira Thaurissan, the new Thane of Shadowforge.

But the Alliance was still not in what one could call a safe position. There was every risk that the Blightcaller or his allies could launch a sudden and desperate counter-attack, and reverse the Blockade in Loch Modan. And indeed, the events of the week that followed were to be highly traumatic for the Alliance, as it would be for the Horde as well.

To begin with, when the Alliance inclosure was complete at the beginning of Week Eight, all seemed to be stabilising. The front had closed upon the Forsaken, and many felt that there was little now to do save to utterly destroy the encircled forces in Dun Morogh. This was in itself not a erroneous conclusion, but the main fallacy lay in assuming that it was the only objective for the time being. It led to a laxity in other sections of Alliance Territory, particularly in Duskwood and Westfall. To be honest to the situation, these areas were far away from the Frontline, so it was natural to expect laxity. Natural - but unacceptable. For in war, there must be perpetual alertness for any stroke of the enemy. And the Alliance would pay for it's oversight.

In Duskwood, ther was little or no military backup. What little was present was either in Elwynn Forest or in Stranglethorn Vale. In Elwynn, the special units of Legion VII (_which was essentially three full Divisions of mixed Alliance heritage, two Infantry and one Armored_) were on rest and refit, but were essentially battle ready, though not in a postion to move for at least another week. In Stranglethorn Vale, there was one weak Gnomish Armored Division, comprised entirely of refitted Reavers (_machines mostly used for construction and lumber processing_) and a weak Infantry battalion under Major Doren (_promoted from Lieutenant after his handling of the Kurzen issue_). In Westfall, only a small garrison of some 750 soldiers, a little over two battalions in strength, were present in Sentinel Hill and Moonbrook, mostly for police duties, and mostly reservists. As such, save for Elwynn, most of the Alliance forces in the southern Eastern Kingdoms were woefully unprepared for any assault which might come for them.

And come it did. In the form of the dangerous Shadow Hunter Vol'Jin and his fanatical hordes of Trolls.

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><p>That the Trolls were intent on recapturing their ancestral homelands was well known. And the timing of the assault seemed perfect - most of the Alliance forces were in Khaz Modan. There was little or nothing to halt them. It was not a spur of the moment decision, for it had been planned out at the Mulgore Conference, when the first plans for the Durotan Offensive had been drawn up. Fortunately for them, the fates had been most kind. Vol'Jin had, through trickery, bribes, persuasion and deception, convinced the warring Stranglethorn Troll tribes to rally together and drive the Humans out of the Vale, out of Duskwood and Westfall, and to raze Stormwind. Such an action, he reasoned, would increase their respect in the Horde immensely, and finally give the beleaguered Trolls a new home at last.<p>

As such, on the second day of Week Eight, the Troll Forces from Kalimdor arrived and launched simultaneous amphibious assaults on Westfall and Stranglethorn Vale. In Westfall, they landed near Longshore in massive Troll Destroyer ships, the pride of the Kalimdor Flotilla of the Horde Navy, and immediately assaulted Moonbrook, which fell within a day. In Stranglethorn Vale, the Troll forces received reinforcements from Grom'Gol Encampment, two Orcish Infantry Battalions. All in all, the Troll Invasion force comprised three Troll Infantry Divisions, all Raptor mounted, another Infantry Divsion formed of the Stranglethorn Troll Armies, and an Orcish Infantry Division already stationed in Stranglethorn Vale. The whole contingent was called Force Daggertail.

Two of the Troll Divisions had landed in Westfall, and one which Vol'Jin himself was leading landed in Stranglethorn, which rallied the disparate Horde forces and struck hard to the North. The unwary Gnomes were completely routed, and Major Doren's Infantry Battalion did no better. By the evening of the next day, Westfall was completely under Troll Control, Sentinel Hill also having fallen to the Horde, and Troll forces were already entering Duskwood. The minimal Alliance miltary in the region was ensconced in Darkshire, having retreated there. The town itself was speedily evacuated, with most of the residents fleeing into Redridge Mountains, towards Lakeshire. They would remain there until the end of the War, when they would return to begin the painful process of rebuilding their razed town.

The situation sounded massive alarm bells in Stormwind, since the city was but a few days march away from the rapidly advancing Force Daggertail. Brigadier Halford Wyrmbane of Legion VII was ordered to move his forces into Westfall forthwith to deal with the immediate threat. This order however was countermanded once the reports of the Darkshire situation began to filter in. At this, Wyrmbane himself took charge of the situation, and decide to pull back all forces into Elwynn Forest. He immediately ordered the untis in Duskwood to triage Darkshire and retreat, by boat, into Elwynn, rather than by overland march via Redridge.

This move was heavily criticised by several of the House of Nobles. The criticism though was purely on political grounds, as it gave the impression to the people that Stromwind's Armies were incapable of defending even core Alliance territory. Wyrmbane however, paid no attention to the protesting bleats, primarily due to King Wrynn's influence. As such, he worked as fast as he could to prepare an unpleasant welcome for Force Daggertail once it reached his own troops - battle hardened veterans of the Battles for Ahn'Qiraj, Naxxramas, Icecrown and Hyjal.

* * *

><p>For the Trolls, the sun shone. There was mostly token resistance to their advance, and by the middle of Week Eight, they were in full control of Duskwood, Westfall and Stranglethorn Vale. By the fourth day, they were already in Elwynn Forest, striking in a double pincer from the Tower of Azora and the Westbook Garrison, both of which had been utterly torched and destroyed. The farmsteads of Maclure, Stonefield and Brackwell had been captured by the advancing Trolls, though not all of the food stores there were edible - owing to the fact that the retreating Alliance forces had spoiled and scattered as much as they could to deny the Trolls any form of efficient provisioning. But by the end of the week, they were in Goldshire, and poised to strike hard at Stormwind itself.<p>

In Stormwind, there was utter panic. The fall of the farms had effectively snapped the city's food supply, and rationing was already in progress. Also, rumour-mongering led to false alarms and further strained the already exhausted garrison, forcing the impostion of martial law. The streets were mostly deserted, save for an occasional despatch-rider going through, Of senior leadership, only King Varian Wrynn, General Wyrmbane and Prince Anduin Wrynn were present. The rest of the House of Nobles had, rather conveniently, escaped on a ship at the first sign of Troll Forces in Elwynn._ It is to be noted that when the ship was reported as sunk by Troll Destroyers, no one shed many tears on their deaths._

Military strength was quite poor in terms of numbers, as the forces arrayed against Daggertail were just Legion VII, an ad-hoc Division cobbled together from remnants of the destroyed Alliance forces from Stranglethorn, Westfall and Duskwood, and a battalion-sized force of Stormwind Guards, which was maintaining law and order - barely. As such, it was against overwhelming odds, the only silver-lining being that the Trolls had no siege equipment - a difficulty that would not be much of an impediment in the view of their sheer numerical strength, since they could simply swarm over the walls and gates of the city.

The Troll assault on the city began on the first day of the Ninth Week. Surprisingly, there were no troops manning the walls and gates, and the Trolls were able to enter with relative ease. Penetration went smoothly until they reached the centre of the Trade District, where the Alliance Forces in the city then struck hard at the flanks of the Trolls. The battle soon degenerated into the brawl of Urban Combat, with continuous fighting over lanes, houses, and even small pathways that in peacetime, not the poorest human would have bothered his head over. Tanks blocked the three bridges leading into the other parts of the city, and it became a nightmare for the Trolls to maintain an effective foothold within the city.

This bit of action only proved to the Alliance command what they had suspected for a long time - Trolls were excellent open-country units, but in the confined spaces of a city, they were cut to perhaps half-efficiency. The humans, in contrast, proved masters of urban combat, and were soon able to obtain considerable tactical superiority over the luckless Troll forces, who found themselves wedged uncomfortably in the city's narrow streets and lanes, every passage becoming a bottleneck fiercely contested. Force Daggertail lost large numbers - out of the 8,000 troops who had assaulted the city first, more than 3,000 soldiers had already been killed, and most if not all of their raptors were greiviously wounded, effectively robbing the Trolls of their greatest assets. The Alliance, in contrast, lost some 1,500 men out of almost 4,000, but had killed almost the same numbers as their own, in a superb example of urban combat.

None the less, the Alliance was severely pressed, and in the third day of the fighting, a terrible blow fell.

* * *

><p>On the morning of the Third Day, the structures facing the middle gate of the Trade District suddenly seemed to part open like a wall, which was soon followed by a thunderous roar. The Trolls had blown up an entire city block in their assault using Sapper Charges, and now rushed the middle bridge in a maddened attempt to reach the Cathedral Square, from where they would have greater access to the rest of the city. The sudden rush overwhelmed the Tanks on the bridge, and not a few fell into the canals and blew up in the hurried action that followed. Vol'Jin himself led the charge and by that very night, the Trolls were in Cathedral Square, ruthlessly investing the Church, but unable to break through the cordon of Alliance soldiers holding up the front in desperation. Dawn rose to light up bitter fighting along the whole line, and by that time, the Alliance front was shuddering under repeated assaults.<p>

At this point, King Wrynn decided to end the contest by battling Vol'Jin himself, since he reasoned that without their leader, the Trolls would lose heart and fall back and out of the city, giving the Alliance a chance to push them out utterly. He went ahead despite protestations from every officer, who felt that the risk was unnecessary. And as midday rose, the Warrior King strode out to the centreof the square, and demanded to fight Vol'Jin in single combat. The Shadow Hunter had no qualms, boasting that the King's swords would soon decorate his tent. Thence followed a battle that has been described by many as one of the most astonishing, awe-inspiring and close matches ever fought in recent memory. Not since Dire Maul had such a ferocious fight taken place. But in a shock upset, the Shadow Hunter managed to dextrously trip the unfortunate King, and smote off his head in a vicious blow.

For a moment, all was silent in the square, the disbelief evident in everyone's expressions. The Ghost Wolf had fallen - to the Shadow hunter of the Darkspears no less. Then Vol'Jin let out a feral whoop and snatched up the King's swords with relish, as cheers broke out from the massed Troll Forces in the square. Surely victory was at hand, they felt. For if the Ghos Wolf could fall, what had they to fear? Contrary to their belief, they had a great deal to fear.

For not less than a few minutes later, the Alliance forces rallied and struck viciously at the Troll frontlines. What surprised the Trolls was not the suddenness of the attack, but at the intensity of the assault. For they seemed to have lost all reason, screaming viciously and attacking with a ferocity that had not been seen so far among the humans. As it would seem, their King's death had not demoralised them, but instead urged them to redouble their efforts, in a massive setback to the Troll estimates. And not surprisingly, it was in a way a repeat of the Battle of Blackrock Mountain from the Second War, when the Old Horde had been beaten by a much smaller Alliance force due to sheer ferocity. And the new Turalyon was none other than Prince Anduin himself, a surprising thing, when one considered his youth and his relative inexperience on the battlefield. But then again, it can be assumed that the death of one so close can often unlock hidden energies to avenge the kill.

The Trolls found themselves utterly outclassed by the mere intensity of the fighting. And by the ned of the day, every living human within the city had joined the fighting, the force of which stunned the hapless Trolls and pushed them completely out of Stormwind. The very next day, even as the Trolls were regrouping, the defenders counterattacked viciously, pushing them as far as the border of Elwynn by the end of that week. Force Daggertail had lost heavily, now down to just 2,000 men - the hard core of Troll troops. The coalition of Stranglethorn Tribals had broken completely, and many were fleeing in a disordered rout towards the Vale, where they would be hunted down in the years following the war and systematically eradicated. Vol'Jin's forces, now on foot, having lost all their precious raptors, were in deep trouble. The Shadow Hunter decided not to take any risks and on the night of the last day of the Ninth Week, his forces set fire to the eastern edge of Elwynn forest, occupying the advancing Alliance forces under Wyrmbane and Anduin, and giving cover to his troops to retreat to Longshore in Westfall. Here they followed the trail of destruction they had wreaked upon the already luckless land, and utterly torched Moonbrook and Sentinel Hill in a scorched-earth policy. The damage has still not been repaired, at the time this account is being written, and the process of rebuilding is still a painful one.

Fortunately for the trolls, most of their ships were intact, and they swiftly boarded and escaped the death trap that was surely waiting for them had they stayed. Not all of the ships made it however. The ones which followed the troopships were waylayed by the Alliance Navy, which had rallied during the siege of Stormwind, and all but three of the Troll Destroyers which carried the troops, escaped. Unfortunately for them, due to inclement weather along the way, this small force would not reach the shores of Kalimdor until almost two weeks later, by which time things would have changed drastically for the Horde.

* * *

><p>The fighting in this week had shown the importance of having forces trained in Urban Combat, of maintaing an elite corps of veterans to fight and train troops, of the significance of people's militia, as well the importance of morale and the power of individuals, like General Wyrmbane, who could turn the tide of a close battle. It also is a testament to the young Prince Anduin, who proved himself a capable warrior and leader, in some ways the equal of his illustrious father. His coronation, which would occur not a week after the end of the fighting in Westfall, was swift and while the young King did little to influence immediate military operations, his presence would greatly alter the fates of the Horde nations, as well as provide a considerable boost in morale to the Alliance forces across the Eastern Kingdoms.<p>

The incident evoked mixed reactions in Orgrimmar. On one hand, there was considerable praise from several army commanders of Vol'Jin's ingenuity and courage. There was also considerable derision at his failure to win the overall engagement, thus wasting a great deal of resources that could have been otherwise put to use in Kalimdor. The loss of the secondary objectives would prove demoralising for the Horde, and this would adversely affect them in the coming battles - a factor which was very ill-timed, when one considered the situation unfolding in Kalimdor.

* * *

><p>In the northern Eastern Kingdoms, things were unraveling swiftly for the EKEF. Battered and beleagured, the undead were forced into a cul-de-sac of the Gol'Bolar Quarry. The Blightcaller attempted several times to break past the bulwark of Army Group Defender - in vain. The Alliance forces ahad firmyl ensconced themselves at the mouths of the Quarry, and the presence of two Gilnean Divisions made the prospects even more grim. By the end of Week Eight, Forsaken supplies were down to near subsistence level, and most of the surviving Frostwolf Orcs <em>(from the disastrous engagement at Kharanos<em>) were already dead due to lack of food, lack of proper medical attention due to a shortage of supplies, and terrible weather. To make matters worse, the Plague supplies were completely gone, making the situation hazardous in the extreme. The lack of a relieving force from Loch Modan also contributed to general feeling of helplessness and low morale. Suicides (_if one could consider that undead could also die of self-inflicted wounds_) were increasing.

By the time the Ninth Week began, it became obvious that there was no escape from the pincer, and thus the Blightcaller and most of his senior staff, along with some of the best soldiers in their ranks, slipped past the mass of Army Group Defender, on Bats and Dragonhawks, some 800 men in all. The rest were effectively abandoned, in an act of cowardice that still eveokes derision from soldiers today. These men, some 12,000 troops and almost all the Plague-Spewers, were utterly annihilated by a massive assault launched on the Third Day of the Ninth Week, in which the Ebon Blade, the Dark Iron Army and the Ironforge Mountaineers completely overwhelmed and destroyed the trapped EKEF forces in a highly well-orchestrated pincer attack, devastating in its operation.

The efforts of the Ebon Blade, in particular, were most noteworthy, and what few surviving undead were quickly turned into their thralls, which made them all the more stronger. The Dark Irons also impressed, with their efficient and ruthless use of shadow magic, deomonology and ambush tactics. The Ironforge Mountaineers made life miserable for the already battered EKEF, and conditions within the army were bad enought that any living commander would have surrendered long ago on the basis of survival and dignity alone. Added to that was a raging blizzard, and the fate of the bulk of EKEF troops was sealed, their doom evident. On the last day of the Ninth Week, the last undead soldier fell to the Runeblades of Thassarian, effectively ending the Battle of Dun Morogh and Ironforge.

* * *

><p>The loss was to generate shockwaves, and coupled with Vol'Jin's disastrous incursion in the south, it was in many ways the nadir for the Horde military. Sylvanas was irate with the defeat, since it compromised her already shaky position within the Horde political structure. The loss of the troops, while regrettable, could be made up - since they merely had to raise undead into service again. But the loss of face was irreedemable, and it was made clear when the news was delivered to an enraged Garrosh Hellscream. And it further shook the confidence of the Blood Elves, who felt that the time for action had finally dawned. On the last day of the Ninth Week, they began mobilising their Army, some 5,000 troops in all, and began preparing them to march towards the Undercity, ostensibly to boost the EKEF if things got too dangerous.<p>

As the Tenth Week began, prospects looked bleak for the Horde. And while it was no better for the Alliance in many ways, the Alliance had now completely seized the initiative. And they would retain it for the rest of the campaign, one which was to prove singular in several ways, and which would lead to events that have changed the course of Azeroth's history for all time.


	9. Part IV Chapter 2

_**(Author's Note: - All figures for the Darnassus Gun were taken from the details of the Paris Gun, designed by the late Prof. Fritz Rausenberger of Krupp Industries)**_

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><p><em>"First we will try Archers and Mages. Failing that, we shall go over the walls with ropes and grapples. Failing that, the Shamans shall bring the sky down on them. And if that fails...ha! We shall haunt these degenerates for the next ten thousand years!" - Vindicator Kuros, on the eve of the amphibious assault on the Zoram Strand.<em>

At the beginning of the Eighth Week in Kalimdor, things were sour for the KO. The massive reprisals in Darkshore and Dustwallow Marsh had seemingly reminded the Horde of the recuperative powers of the Alliance forces. It seemed only a matter of time now before they would begin their inevitable counterattack. And indeed, they would have, had not a strange occurrence once again caused a delay, and drew the attention of the Alliance armies, particularly the Night Elves, inwards.

While Intelligence on enemy operations was not as sophisticated as it was in the Eastern Kingdoms, the Alliance in Kalimdor had, nonetheless, a considerable ring of double-agents and saboteurs, mostly within the Earthen Ring and the Cenarion Circle. From the few sources they had within Horde officialdom, they had received information that the Goblins had something in the form of a surprise for the Alliance, though it's exact nature was unrevealed. It took form soon enough, sometime during the third day of the Ninth Week.

* * *

><p>On the morning of the third day, most Alliance forces in Darkshore were regrouping after the battle, much like the Horde were regrouping in Ashenvale. Roughly three hours after sunrise, a massive explosion rocked Darnassus, occurring on the Warriors Terrace. This was followed roughly fifteen minutes later by a second explosion at the Banking Sector, followed by several explosions of equal magnitude and force at regular intervals. The initial conclusion was that Darnassus was under aerial assault, presumably by Wyvern-Riders or Goblin Zeppelins and by midday, all activity halted in the city, and a lot of people were craning their necks toward the sky, in an attempt to track down the mysterious flyer who was so audaciously subjecting their city to a bombardment. However, nothing was found and the explosions continued with regular intervals until the third hour of the afternoon.<p>

Subsequent analysis of the explosion craters revealed some unusual signs. In the first place the craters were roughly 3ft. deep, and about twice as wide on average. Also, some Gilnean Engineers analysed the fragments in the crater and came to the astonishing conclusion that these were not Grenades or small Bombs of the sort favored by Flyers, but rather they were Artillery Shells of the type used in Steam Tanks. In a surprising conclusion, they realised that Darnassus was being shelled by an incredibly long-range gun. This was soon confirmed by the periodic regularity of the explosions, which they asserted, was because of the intervals in firing and the time of flight of the projectile.

Several theories were suggested to try and obtain a more rational explanation. One was that it was a new kind of explosive planted by Goblin rogue spies, to befuddle the Darnassians into thinking that it was an artillery gun. Another was that the gun was situated somewhere in Darkshore or Teldrassil itself. While this had no official sanction, it nonetheless attracted a great deal of interest, official and unofficial, which resulted in steady searching and combing throughout the Tree and through Darkshore as well, which was done by the Alliance forces there - effectively functioning as a distraction from the front. Yet another explanation, though unlikely, was that the weapon was situated somewhere in Darnassus itself, of the silent kind, and operated by Goblin or other Horde agents.

While ingenious, none of these theories ever came to pass the litmus test of efficiency. The next day, the bombardment began again. And it continued for some time, again ending in the afternoon like the day before. Since the previous day, 15 had been killed and three times that number wounded. This pattern continued for the rest of the week. On the first day of the Ninth Week, the bombardment stopped - in a temporary respite. It opened up again on the third day - and it was to prove the worst day of them all. For that day a shell crashed directly through the Howling Oak, where several of the Gilneans had congregated for their morning prayers. Nearly 200 were killed and double that number injured, bringing that day's casualties to almost 275 dead.

While frantic efforts were made to locate the gun, none succeeded, and it continued to fire as and when it liked. It wasn't until the Eleventh Week of the War, when the Draenei overran Azshara, that the bombardment ceased. In it's period of operation, it had caused a total of 1,432 casualties, all civilian, and thoroughly baffled (_and incensed_) the Night Elves.

Only now has some concrete information been made available on the weapon that fired on Darnassus for so many days. It was dubbed the Darnassus Gun, and seemed to be the brainchild of the Bilgewater Cartel's engineers, who had built a similar weapon for defence on Kezan. With a barrel length of Forty metres (130 feet) and a weight of almost 142 tons. Experimental firing during the days of the Cataclysm fighting had shown that a range of 150 Kilometres (94 miles) could be easily reached, which was roughly the distance (_as the stormcrow flies_) from Azshara to Teldrassil, and soon subsequent improvements to the shell and the gun were made. It was ingeniously constructed and mounted on trunnions in the Bligewater Harbour in Azshara, replacing the cumbersome cannon anlready in place (_and which it dwarfed considerably in size and firepower_), with the capability to rotate and fire in any direction needed. However, it's limited elevation meant that it's maximum range was only 200 kilometres (125 Miles). It was subsequently dismantled when the Draenei assaulted and took Azshara in the Eleventh and Twelfth Weeks.

It's operation was quite remarkable, as many who were interrogated after the war, have testified. The details of it's operation are as noted from interrogation logs, and pieced together from subsequent analysis of the Gun itself, in which the scribe himself has played a part. It goes like this -

_The explosion was quite enormous when the Gun fired, heard as far away as Ratchet as faint thud somewhere on the horizon, and as a distant rumble in Orgrimmar. The barrel would also vibrate considerably for about a good minute or two after firing, an alarming display that also required correction of the angle every time a shot was fired, leading to the unusual spattering of shots in Teldrassil. The mean point for the targeting was the Temple of the Moon, though it was never directly hit during the entirety of the bombardment. The gun was normally fired at the maximum elevation of 55 Degrees to the Horizontal. The shell itself weighed some 132 Kilograms (264 Pounds), was 30cm in calibre, had two copper rotating bands, and was splined equally to match the rifling of the gun, since the torque upon it was enough to shear open most ordinary guns. Each barrel was provided with roughly Sixty numbered shells, the diameter of which increased slightly as the firing progressed to counteract the inevitable wear of the gun, since the heat generated was so high that the barrel usually became unusable due to melting after sixty shots._

_After the first round, the second round was rammed home and the distance carefully measured. Due to wear, the ram distance lengthened a bit after every shot, and thus the volume of the chamber increased. To shoot accurately, muzzle velocity was to be held at a uniform (_or close to it_) 5,000 feet per second, hence a change in chamber volume would affect this considerably - a change of 100 feet of the chamber could shorten the distance by a mile. So fresh calculations had to be made after every shot, and a new charge of powder filled in, the gun elevated to Fifty-Five degrees, and fired again. It was this long performance that caused the 15-20 minute intervals between the shells landing in Darnassus. The presence of rogues in the city helped them calculate the plotting-grid every day, so that the targeting progressively became more and more accurate has the days passed._

From available records, it seemes that three barrels were built. And calculations of shots fired seem to indicate this quite accurately. A fourth barrel was slated to be fitted in, but before it could be towed in from the Quarries at Azshara (_where they were being manufactured_) the Alliance overran the sector, effectively ending the operations of the Gun.

As can be seen, the Darnassus Gun was among the more glamorous weapons built by the Horde, if not more destructive. It had the effect of surprise, as well as reasonable casualties inflicted. But it failed in it's primary purpose, which was to deter the Alliance from continuing their assault. And if it was to demoralise the Night Elves, this too failed, for the Gun only made them angrier than ever before at the Horde military, and after the first few days, it was treated more as an irritant than any kind of disaster. Even the feeble excuse of property damage failed, since no target of strategic value was touched, essentially rendering the whole operation pointless.

* * *

><p>Roughly at the same time as the Darnassus Gun began it's operations, the Draenei opened up their front along the Zoram strand. Landing his forces in the strand and marching them toward Zoram'Gar Outpost under covering fire from the NIght Elven navy, Vindicator Kuros staged his assault on the Horde base in the region. Resistance was stiff, but the Shamans in his command managed to batter down the massive gates of the zone, and the outpost was taken. Most of the Horde forces present there were Trolls, meant to reinforce the frontline near Darkshore. Their interception by the Draenei was quite timely, for the Night Elves. Draenei casualties were surprisingly low, due in no small part to the large number of Vindicators in the assault (<em>the Draenei name for Paladins<em>).

Following this, the Draenei followed a pattern of a slow grinding assault across northern Ashenvale. Their assault relied upon the Warriors and Vindicators in the front, with the Windcallers (_Draenei shamans_) providing backup and field support. Leading this formation was a screen of Elekk-mounted fighters, all of the Hand of Argus. This force relied more on mass and inertia, rather than the blitzing assault tactics favoured by most militaries in Kalimdor. The Elekk forces were to provide a initial thrust, followed by a massed charge by the ranks of footsoldiers, while the Shamans kept everybody alive to the best of their abilitites, as well as cause disruption in the enemy lines by unleashing elemental energies where permissable. This tactic had been newly developed, and many watched to see if it would work.

The first test was as they marched onto Maestra's Post. The KO had retreated to this point after the mauling in Darkshore, and were regrouping in an attempt to strike back at the Night Elves, who had still not entered Ashenvale at that point. On the last day of the Eighth week, the Draenei opened up their offensive on Maestra's Post. The resulting battle was to prove highly successful for the Draenei, with the exception of the Elekk units which fared poorly due to the jungle terrain. The ferocity of Kuros' troops was unnnerving to the Orcs, the memory of the Darkshore debacle still fresh. After a day of vicious fighting, the Horde frontline crumbled completely, and the remainder of the Orcs fled deeper into Ashenvale, towards New Grommash, where they knew Gorlach's Siege Division would halt the relentless tide. The Horde had lost some 1,873 men, while the Draenei counted a loss of 850 troops. The massive disparity further demoralised the KO, and enraged Saurfang considerably.

* * *

><p>After this successful assault, the Draenei halted for two days until the vanguard of General Feathermoon's troops, some 1,500 soldiers, reached the reclaimed Maestra's Post. Joining the Draenei were the shamans under Farseer Nobundo as well, who had accompanied the advancing Night Elves. Subsequently, Vindicator Kuros and the Draenei Army continued their march towards New Grommash, having become the frontline for the Alliance. They numbered some 3,000 troops, all Draenei, along with some 400 Elekk-mounted troops. The night elves stayed behind, to rebuild the post somwhat and await the rest of General Feathermoon's troops. However, the Draenei advance had no armor, and this was troubling.<p>

The worry was not unfounded. In the week that had gone by, the Horde had focused on New Grommash and had, through earthworks and siege building, constructed a considerable barrier for the Alliance to ford. It had essentially become a strongpoint, and the Horde hoped to delay the Alliance forces long enough for reinforcements to arrive. In this way, Saurfang hoped, they could mount a counterattack to push the Alliance back to the original frontline near Maestra's Post. As such, a massive bulwark existed around the town. This was reinforced by the stream of troops flowing in from the front at Maestra's post, so there was quite the resistance the Draenaei would have to counter when they attacked.

Reinforcements were also coming. For the Tauren had, after considerable effort and bloodshed, managed to halt and send the Centaur Great Ride into a rout. The costs ahd been severe - much of Mulgore had been defiled and Thunder Bluff had also taken some damage, the central rise being badly torched and damaged in the fighting. That the Tauren had succeeded at all was a remarkable acheivement, and a testament to their detemination and courage, and also of Baine Bloodhoof's leadership throughout the crisis. With the threat defused, the Tauren began to reallocate their forces to the KO, much to the relief of Saurfang and his staff. But it was a much reduced military than earlier - of some 3,500 Tauren soldiers, just 1,894 were left. The rest had fallen during the fighting against the Great Ride, which had considerably outnumbered them, almost a four-to-one ratio as some have reported.

These forces were sent into Ashenvale, and were expected to arrive by the end of the week. The situation was incresingly becoming fluid, and it became essential that the Draenei punch through before the Tauren forces reached the post and undid the work of the past week.

* * *

><p>The Draenei launched their assault on the fourth day. But it was of little effect, as the Horde was simply too well entrenched. The lack of Siege Units began to adversely affect their assault, while the Horde enjoyed near total superiority in this field. The assault faltered and finally ebbed back, the Draenei having lost some 400 men, while the Horde losses were just half that number. The next day proved no better, but there were not as many casualties as the day before. In all other aspects, the situation was unchanged, as the bulwark didn't break. New Grommash was effectively fortified by a lake, and with the only land passages choked with fortifications and covered by Siege Engines, it was madness to attempt a breakthrough. To make matters worse, a heavy rainstorm broke out, rendering the whole area too sodden and muddy for a proper assault. Under the conditions prevailing, Vindicator Kuros told his troops to hunker down and await the arrival of the Night Elves.<p>

However, that very night, Vindicator Kuros received word from his scouts that the Tauren were nearing Stonetalon Pass. The realisation that the enemy was going to be reinforced considerably annoyed Kuros, and he knew that if the Tauren reached the town, with their ranks of Shamans and Druids, the tides would turn very swiftly against him. But the weather made the situation near impossible for a conventional assault of any kind. And if he attempted to pull his men out to deal with the Tauren, the Horde in New Grommash would undoubtedly realise his intent and successfully delay his men by a massive bombardment.

Faced with such prospects, he came to a desperate decision. He ordered Nobundo and almost all the Shamans to head toward Stonetalon Pass - and collapse it upon the advancing Tauren. The catch - he had to move right away, in the middle of the night and during a massive thunderstorm that was lashing Ashenvale. However, the Farseer knew it was also a move the Horde wouldn't expect, and so he willingly agreed and set out not an hour after the missive had reached the Draenei forces. This force of shamans reached the Stonetalon Pass just as the next day broke. Hot, stinking and wet, but they had reached there in time. And almost immediately, they collapsed the Pass using their formidable energies to cause an earthquake and a lightning storm of epic proportions. And it was done just as the first Tauren units appeared on the horizon, marching resolutely toward the pass.

The Tauren, for their part, were stunned to see the road vanish completely under a sudden avalanche of rocks and lightning. They undoubtedly realised that it wasn't a natural occurrence, but it left them stranded in the Stonetalon Mountains. Unable to progress any further, they turned around and started off toward the entrance to the Barrens, in the hope that they would reach the frontline from there. Though they also did realise that by then, things could have changed drastically in Ashenvale, due to the time needed to use the long detour.

* * *

><p>The Horde in Ashenvale, meanwhile, was mystified as to why no reinforcements had shown up. A scout sent to the Pass revealed the answer, and the panic was absolute, as they realised what had happened. Though it galled them considerably that the Draenei had made such a surprising move, given the situation. Then, they realised that the Draenei frontline was undermanned, and they decided to march out of their strongpoint and assault them in their downtime.<p>

**_It is said that a Lion who stays in his den cannot be beaten even by a Dragon, but the Lion who steps out of his den can be easily beaten by a mere Human._** The Horde was much like the Lion, and the parallel was absolute that day. Though they outnumbered the Draenei slightly, they were routed badly in the battle that followed, as the Draenei simply formed tight ranks in a wall of Shields, and let the KO assault waste itself on the bulwark. As the KO forces retreated back into New Grommash to nurse it's wounds, it found itself substantially reduced. What had been some 10,000 men at the beginning of the assault on Darkshore had been whittled down to just 2,000 wounded and fatigued fighters, with 70 Siege Engines. The next day, no assault came, which surprised the Orcs. In reality, the Draenei were waiting for the bulk of the advancing Night Elves to catch up with them.

Gorlach sensed that something was wrong very swiftly, since the Draenei were simply holding put, and realised that they were waiting for the bulk of the Night Elven army to arrive, with their upgraded (_and dreaded_) Glaive Throwers. Rather than lose his forces (_for he was de facto commander of New Grommash_) he decided to withdraw from the town rather than waste lives unneccessarily on a futile - and dangerous - defensive battle. This he did so by lighting several fires to give the impression of complete habitation and pulling his men, with his Siege Engines, out by night as silently as possible. They left this way that very night, retrating as far as the New Lumber Mill near Silverwind Lake, where they arrived and halted by morning.

The Draenei rose the next day, and quickly realised what happened. They swiftly took over the now empty town, and held it until the Night Elves arrived later that day. The plan was to comtinue the grinding assault pattern the same way as previously from Astranaar _(the old name being swiftly given to the town)_ and continue to push the Horde back this way. The combined forces of the Night Elves and Draenei was called Army Group Shuriken, and it commenced it's march the very next day, now some 15,000 strong and backed by nearly 500 Siege Engines.

The Horde in contrast had just a little over 5,000 men (_a Division had been left in the Lumber Camp area_) and a Battalion of Goblin Engineers, and some 100 Siege Engines. As such, it was a massive disparity, made even worse when one compared the beginnings of the campaign to the situation now. The silver lining was that the corridor in which the Alliance would be forced to march and fight in the forest was realtively narrow, which meant that they would face the enemy in trickles rather than in waves. But to the Night Elves, they knew it would be no problem as their forces would simply melt through the forest and assault them from all sides. It was frightening for the Horde, to say the least.

* * *

><p>The Horde received some breathing room when one considered that there was as yet no assault from the Dustwallow Marsh down south, but it was poor consolation to the tired soldiers in Ashenvale, and everyone knew it. The myth of Orcish invincibility was slowly fading, now being replaced by a doubtful aura of apprehension and suspicion. As the Tenth week began, the situation in Kalimdor was a near stalemate, and marginally better off for the Horde - when one compared them with the situation in the Eastern Kingdoms, the situation seemed almost stable.<p>

When the Horde ahad advanced in Ashenvale during the Cataclysm, Warchief Hellscream had arrogantly proclaimed "_No Night Elven swines whall eject us from here!_"

The words of Saurfang, taciturn as always, who had seen the ferocity of the Night Elves, and whose Kor'Kron were at that very moment embroiled in a seething battle with the Silverwing Sentinels were telling.

All he said was - "_I hope not._"

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><p><strong><em>Thanks for all your reviews and Favourite-tags, dear readers. It really makes my day! <em>:D**_**  
>Do expect somewhat slower updates though, since my End-of-Semester Exams are approaching, and I need to work on them. I'll do what I can though, so don't be too disappointed!<strong>_


	10. Part V Chapter 1

**Part V - Resurgence**

**Chapter 1 - Sinking in the Mire**

* * *

><p><em>"They say if you cut off an extremity, it grows back a bit bigger. Don't you believe it..." - Darkspear saying<em>

The saying above was in many ways eerily fitting to the way the situation was unfolding in the Eastern Kingdoms. The EKEF's bulk had been lost in the disastrous fighting in Dun Morogh, and the Alliance looked ready to sweep down on the weak EKEF positions in the north of Loch Modan, near Hell's Breach. It became fairly obvious that unless the Forsaken came up with a drastic plan, there would be a monumental military disaster to deal with, in addition to the unpleasant situation already prevailing. Had there been enough Plague cauldrons, the Forsaken might still have had a chance, but without it, they were dangerously handicapped.

Caught in the problem that they were, they used whatever few days of respite they had left. The moment the Blood Elves had arrived in Hell's Breach in a rout, the Forsaken rearguard had been continuously barricading the way to Hell's Breach, using the same method as the Alliance to induce delays, while they waited for reinforcements. And indeed, during the first few days of the Tenth Week, the Alliance experienced considerable delays, not because of the Forsaken blockades - which in itself was a formidable problem. The real delays rose in the reorganisation of the Army Group Defender.

Up to this point, the Alliance had been in a defensive mode of war. Now, they needed to switch to a more offensive attack paradigm, and this took time - to reorganise and resupply the Alliance Divisions, to induct the Dark Irons into the command structure, and most significant of all, get used to the fact that a boy of Fifteen was now the Leader of the Alliance. The military reorganisation, however, was the most time-taking.

Army Group Defender was renamed as Army Group Valiance but without any change in the command structure. The winning trio of Crowley and the Wildhammer Brothers was kept intact. Highlord Mograine of the Ebon Blade was subordinated to Crowley, and the Ebon Blade as such was treated similar to a special strike force. Their role was more refined, and as will be seen, highly devastating when deployed in the right circumstances. In total, the comprised Nine Divisions of Infantry (_of which four were Rifle divisions_), Five Armored Divisions, The Dark Iron Army was also classified as a Division - _1st Dwarven Composite (Provisionsal)_. The Ebon Blade was simply called Division S, and kept out of the ordinary command structure. This made up a total strength of almost 17,000 Soldiers and 350 Tanks.

Facing this behemoth was a weak EKEF contingent of a little over 6,000 troops with little or no armor. This figure included the remnants of the Blood Elven Mage-Infantry divisions as well as the Blightcaller's exodus. Fortunately for the Forsaken, help was coming, though in a form they did not entirely expect - or appreciate. But it would provide some vitally-needed time and men, until they could raise fresh troops - quite literally.

The Alliance advance into Loch Modan began on the Fourth Day of the Tenth Week, And it was a relatively fast advance, right past Thelsamar (_which had been badly damaged, but in a fairly stable condition_). From Thelsamar onwards, the going became slow, as they encountered numerous blockades and chokepoints established by the Forsaken, necessitating a slow clearing operation along the road. Three divisions (_two Infantry and one Armored_) were sent around the eastern edge of the dried Loch to advance along that path, and this force had relatively easier going than the bulk of the Army Group, due to fewer obstacles. This task took up much of the rest of that week, and it was only at the beginning of the Eleventh Week that the Army Group reached Hell's Breach. At this point, however, the advance halted and developed into a battle.

The EKEF had received reinforcements during the one week that had gone by. The Alliance noted that most of the troops making up the frontal screen of the EKEF were strangely attired. Dressed in a hodgepodge of various armour pieces, wielding strange and non-standard weapons, their equipment enchanted and studded with several different gemstones, they made a impressive sight. This line of troops managed to stave off the advance and it developed into a close battle along the frontline at Hell's Breach. The advance halted, and both sides were effectively stuck, the EKEF having a marginally better situation due to their relatively strong defensive positions. The Mercenary had made his appearance in the main theatre of the War.

* * *

><p>Mercenaries have been on Azeroth longer than most people can remember. But their numbers had proliferated exponentially since the end of the Third War, as the demand grew for fighters who were willing to undertake jobs too dangerous for the regular armies of Azeroth to perform. They had only a passive loyalty to their respective factions. Their true loyalties lay with their Guilds, and the bonds formed therein, or at times their loyalties lay to themselves alone - the thrill of combat and the greed for gold being their only motivation.<p>

Often wild and unprincipled, their tactics and warfare made for interesting study and observation. Normally operating alone, or in groups of five, ten, twenty-five or fifty, they undertook missions and tasks with near-impossible odds against them, or highly lucrative tasks of robbery, assasination or fortress defence which could potentially wipe out a garrison of ordinary troops. Often, they acted as the main thrust to an advancing military force in the more heavily contested territories of Azeroth, such as Warsong Gulch, Alterac Valley, Arathi Basin, Wintergrasp and so on, often fighting over resources, bunkers and other strategic assets in the place of regular units, which were too precious to be frittered away in attritional skirmish warfare.

There is no tabard these warriors have not worn, no cause they have not fought for, no conflict on Azeroth - or Outland - that they have not been in. Indeed, if one is to be honest to history, it was these men and women who made the decisive assaults possible on the enemy, by softening up enemy defences, assassination and sabotage. Often given high-risk jobs, their lives were perpetually at threat, and it is a wonder that so many survive even to this day. Most were neutral, having affiliations with several organisations (_The Argent Dawn, the Earthen Ring, the forces of Therazane, the Shattered Sun, the Cenarion Circle, and so on_) and being quite well respected for their services and the risks they undertook to make victory possible. Some were partisan, however, and only offered their services to their home cities, or to organisations they felt they could identify with, or to their Guilds alone.

Most were paid more than the average soldier - indeed, most were fabulously wealthy, but seldom used it to enrich their lives or settle down. Instead there was always the thirst for more, as if their spirits could not be sated with mere peace. And in every conflict, it was they who often did the most brutal and dangerous fighting. Their language was different too, a mixture of Common and Orcish and several other tongues, so as to make it almost incomprehensible to the ordinary man (_for example, the word for a new or inexperienced recruit was '**noob'**, a defeated enemy was referred to as** 'being pawned'**, and strange abbreviations such as** WTF** and **OMG** to indicate annoyance or frustration, etc._).

Their weapons and armor were normally custom made, or scavenged from dangerous regions and horrifying opponents. Often, their equipment was heavily enhanced and enchanted, so as to make them even more terrifying and powerful than the average soldier in combat. Most often, these pieces of equipment were obtained from completing virtual suicide missions, which they often did in groups of five, ten or more men and women. They had a mutually agreed method of obtaining this equipment, normally by a game of dice or by some prearranged system, such as dueling. Other times, they were crafted by specialist tradesmen, who provided them the equipment in exchange for rare and exotic materials, such as Pyrite ores or Shards used in enchantment, or for cetain quantities of hard-to-produce items of armour and weapons, or for winning conflicts for their factions.

On the downside, their battle tactics and strategy were often disorganised, often non-existent, the policy being to simply attack wherever possible and give groun only where necessary, with no considerations to tactics, unit placement, superior positions and the like, putting them at a considerable disadvantage their stronger, more well-organised enemies. However, their tactics did have the advantage of being immensely flexible, making them adaptable to most combat situations.

* * *

><p>As such, the Mercenary was a formidable opponent to deal with on the field, and the Alliance was reminded of it in the ferocious fighting that erupted around Hell's Breach. The mercenary forces, compriseing several powerful guilds and numbering some 2,500 soldiers, were able to effectively stave off the Alliance advance. They were further helped by the fact that the region of conflict was relatively narrow, a small bulkhead around the remains of Algaz Station, and a narrow corridor leading into the Wetlands, from where they received supplies and further reinforcement. In that narrow space, the Alliance could only rotate it's lead forces, but could not make it's superior numbers tell effectively. With the result that the heavily-armed mercenary divisions (<em>there were three Mercenary Divisions, comprising some ten guilds from the Horde, and which were known for their ferocity in the contested regions, referring to themselves as <strong>Pure PvP-ers [another term which has not been properly deciphered, but which comes to mean roughly as skilled combatants in the field of guerrilla warfare]<strong>_). The EKEF strength now was some 9,500 men, and it looked like they could now hold their own again.

Faced with this uncomfortable prospect, Falstadd Wildhammer suggested aerial bombing from Wildhammer Gryphon flights coming in from the Twilight Highlands. This was agreed to, with the result that the enemy was subjected to a continual barrage of elemental fury for three days of the Eleventh Week. However, the EKEF defensive line budged only slightly, since the defenders were used to scenarios just as bad in their long careers. Finding that they were unwilling to surrender, and annoyed by the continual defiance being spat at them, it became clear to the Alliance that a more violent solution was needed. It was time to bring in the Steam-Tanks into the fray.

This proved to be the defender's undoing. Brave as they were, and skilled and dangerous as they were, they could not halt an advance of Steam Tanks with just their weapons and courage alone. They had virtually no anti-tank capabilities, a factor which has been a continual weakness of the Mercenary. On the fifth day, the frontline collapsed in a tremendous roar as the Steam Tanks unloaded a merciless barrage of lead on the enemy, further made worse by the Wildhammer shamans on their Gryphons. By the next morning, the bombardment having continued throughout the night, the defenders decided they had had enough, and began to retreat into the Wetlands. This was a wise decision at the time, but in the long run, it was to prove fatal.

The tally was a sorry sight for the Alliance. They had lost some 1,700 men and suffered considerable wear and attrition, at the hands of a numerically inferior force. The Horde, in contrast had lost a little over 900 men, all Mercenaries, and most of their core military was still intact. The terrain had been a force multiplier, and it became obvious that the whole operation had been a delaying tactic. There was absolutely no mistaking the signs, of an attempted Horde revival, and it was clear that steps had to be taken to offset their measures as swiftly as possible, lest the gains made in the past few weeks be reversed.

* * *

><p>Fortunately, plans were already in motion. Long before the War had begun, the Alliance had been planning to retake Gilneas and Hillsbrad Foothills from Forsaken control. The option chosen had been a radical and a relatively untested one - an amphibious assault on either or both the territories simultaneously. The project had been named <em>Operation Overseer<em>, and planning and preparation had been in progress for some time, especially during the Cataclysm. Now, with the war raging, it became a part of the overall plan to eradicate the Horde from the Eastern Kingdoms.

The plan was split into several phases, the first phase already in motion. Phase One was coded as _Gymnast_, and involved pushing the EKEF back as far as possible, optimally into the Arathi Highlands. Phase Two was coded as _Typhoon_, and involved the retaking of Tol Barad, so as to close off the supplies of the EKEF and provide a staging area for the amphibious assault. Phase Three was coded as _Supercharge_, and was the actual assault itself. To do all of this, the critical condition was the retaking of Menethil Bay, so as to prepare for the next phase of the offensive.

As such, by the Eleventh Week, the status of the Operation was half finished. The Alliance was steadily pushing the EKEF back, though it was a slow crawl. Tol Barad was partially under Alliance Control, the remaining sections of the Islands remaining under the grip of Hellscream's Reach. It was therefore necessary that the process be speeded up, lest the EKEF catch on to the plan, if they had not already. As such, the delays in Loch Modan became a dangerous distraction, and Crowley resolved to ensure the EKEF would not succeed any further in this regard.

* * *

><p>However, the EKEF retreat had given a perfect oppurtunity for a strike, and AG Valiance used it to effect. By the time the Twelfth Week began, the EKEF line had been pushed back to the ruins of the Greenwarden's Grove, the same position in which the Elfblooders had put up such a heroic defence a few weeks earlier, and the Horde had firmly entrenched themselves there. Having received reinforcements from a mostly Paladin Guild, the Mercenaries again put up a near-impregnable wall to the Alliance forces. Try as the Alliance did, there was simply no way to outmach the relentless Paladins, who ferociously kept on healing their comrades, who in turn kept butchering away at the frontline of the Alliance advance. It was a fast developing battle of attrition, and the Horde had the odds in it's favour.<p>

However, the Alliance was now no longer restricted by the terrain. And the Blightcaller had made a tactical error. The mercenary lines were completely focused on defending the captured Greenwarden's Grove, and the defensive line around it was relatively weak. This was partly due to the mentality of the sub-commanders, who had long-since discarded the vital Force-To-Space Ratio theory that had been followed at the beginning of the campaign. Rather than isolating the enemy in pockets and defeating them by tactics and piecemeal grinding, the path chosen was one of standard defence, of holding on stubbornly to strongpoints rather than the fluid and mobile tactics that had been the hallmark of the campaign in the beginning. As such, most of the EKEF forces were concentrated in and around Greenwarden's Grove, with relatively weak flanks and even weaker defence lines in the rest of the region. It meant that a swift assault on the flanks could yield positive results, and Kurdran Wildhammer was quick to notice this fact.

After deliberation with his brother and General Crowley, the younger Wildhammer General took three Infantry _(one rifle, one heavy, one light_) and one armored Division and struck the flanks of the EKEF forces to the east of Greenwarden's Grove. As ill luck would have had it, this flank was once again being held precariously by the remnants of the weak Mage-Infantry Divisions. This unit was completely wiped out, in a sordid affair that is seldom mentioned save in the most detailed histories of the conflict (_particularly Scribe Torallius's work, "Path to Glory" - arguably the best written depiction of the conflict in the Eastern Kingdoms_), resulting in massive casualties, some 1,200 units (_all Blood Elves_) being killed. The Alliance, in contrast, suffered minimal casualties, and their Tank division was untouched. Once the breach was forced, the force struck out towards Menethil Harbour, along the eastern road leading past the Explorer League digsites. The Harbout itself was weakly held by remnants of the Dragonmaw Clan and a few Forsaken Infantry battalions (_light infantry_).

The assault on Menethil Harbour, due to it's weak defensive garrison, was a bloody shambles for the Horde. While the Harbour Defence cannons did inflict casualties on the assault group, there were enough men and there was enough firepower to drown out the defence in a hail of shelling, bullets and a flood of Heavy Infantry, all Human, to break open the Harbour to Alliance Control within just two days. Casualties for the Alliance totaled some 1,200 dead and 12 Tanks, out of a strength of 5,500 and 60 Tanks. These troops secured Menethil Bay and despatched a swift Gryphon to Stormwind to get the fleet moving and secure the sea-lanes to the bay. This was part of the plan of Phase _Gymnast _and it went off in a relatively smooth fashion, the Forsaken Navy being wholly concentrated around the shores of the northern Eastern Kingdoms and Northrend.

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><p>In the meantime, the remaining units of Army Group Valiance carried out no further pressing assaults. It did, however, continually harass the enemy, with the impression being conveyed to the Blightcaller that a massive assault on the Grove was imminent, and thus focusing his attention to dealing with the most visible threat in front of the EKEF. As such, his response to the collapse of the eastern flank was singularly lukewarm, being merely to despatch a Heavy Infantry battalion to secure the gap as soon as possible.<p>

In reality, the distraction that Crowley had carried out for the Blightcaller was remarkably successful. As an added measure, there had been a movement towards the western flank as well, and into the Twilight Highlands. The impression had been conveyed that they were expecting Wildhammer ground troops as backup, and the EKEF had focused it's attention to halting this possibility. It wasn't entirely inaccurate, since Wildhammer Forces were marching down the Grim Batol road, attempting to link-up with AG Valiance, but they were not due for at least another three days, a fact that the EKEF was unaware of. Hoodwinked and distracted, the fall of Menethil Bay was inevitable, and the news was to terribly shake up the Horde army.

Now the EKEF frontline had a yawning gap stretching across much of the Wetlands. The loss of Menethil Bay further unsettled the Blightcaller, who ordered his troops to hedgehog the Grove. Some of his men he sent north towards the Thandol Span, to secure it against Alliance retaliation, as he expected the Alliance would send the flanking force north to retake the bridge and cut-off his only supply route from Forsaken territory. This too, effectively worked as a distraction plan, though unplanned for by the Alliance, since they had absolutely no intent of leaving Menethil Harbour until the EKEF had been pushed out of the Wetlands.

As a result of all these factors, the defence at Greenwarden's Grove had been greatly denuded, with the bulk of forces stretched out along a frontline extending across the western highway to Grim Batol, and only the Mercenary divisions holding the settlement. This effectively denied the EKEF garrison there their anti-tank capabilities, as well as their limited air defence, since the Horde Air Force had no airbase in the Wetlands, and had to make long flights from Hillsbrad Foothills for even a simple reconnaisance flight. Roughly around the same time the Harbour fell to the Alliance, the Alliance Air Force under Commander Fullthrottle opened up its' operations across the Wetlands, striking out from Ironforge Airfield, situated on the mountains directly above the Wetlands. This resulted in a bombing and strafing campaign not unlike the Horde's own in the beginning of the war, with the Alliance Air units striking out at major roads, supply dumps and dugouts, raking them with autocannon fire and smashing away the troops on ground by bombing using high explosives and incendiaries, the latter of which was particularly effective against the Forsaken, their bodies being naturally combustible due to decay. Aerial opposition to this was virtually non-existent, further excarbating the situation.

And so, on the last day of Twelfth Week, the main frontline of the EKEF at Greenwarden's Grove crumbled completely, under a vicious and untrammeled assault by the Tank Divisions against the position. The Mercenary garrison was completely routed, suffering heavy casualties in the process. This set off a chain reaction across the entire Wetlands and by noon, most sectors were already in a landslide defeat, retreating to the Thandol Span. General Blightcaller was able to maintain a semblance of order in the retreating forces, but whether this was due to everyone thinking the same thing as he, or he agreeing with the general sentiment of retreat, is still a moot point. The Alliance infantry had little trouble mopping up the remaining forces in the region, and by evening, the frontline had expanded all the way to Ironbeard's Tomb, at the low range of hills leading up to the span. In effect, the Horde was yet again in retreat. Alliance losses were not as severe as earlier, numbering less than 1,200 dead, in contrast to EKEF losses, which numbered 2,250 dead, and the rest badly wounded. Their strength, in a stinging revelation, was just over 7,300 men, a minor increase to the level that had persisted at the beginning of the Eleventh Week.

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><p>It is ironic perhaps to note that the log maintained by Dark Ranger Clea, who was serving as Blightcaller's adjutant, noted the situation on the morning of the last day as "<em>Fluid, but optimistic of recovery.<em>" Nothing could have been further from the truth, and even more notably, no one had as yet gleaned that a major threat was building up on Tol Barad, much less any direct threat to the core of Forsaken Territory. Operation Overseer had entered it's second phase, with the Horde still unaware of it's existence.

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><p><em><strong>Exams are finally over! Now I can update a little faster than ususal. To all the readers, thanks for your patience.<br>Also, some suggestions on the next moves the Horde or the Alliance will make are asked for. Let's see how you can think on the field of battle, hm?  
><strong>_


	11. Part V Chapter 2

**Part V  
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**Chapter 2 - Azshara's Veil falls  
><strong>

_**"When all else fails, look to the Skies. The land may rebel, the sea may froth, but the skies are always clear. Know this, and you shall touch the sky with glory." - High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque**_

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><p>The Barrens was a clever obstacle for any army that had to pass through it. In other regions, one could count on foraging, water from natural sources, and relatively friendly life-forms. And even then, the going would be tough. In a desert, with the heat restlessly beating down, the local fauna hostile, and little in the form of obtainable food, it was a horrendous challenge.<p>

Yet, the Alliance proved it's mettle, for it's soldiers in the South were all men and women who had spent the better part of fourteen years in such inhospitable lands. And this time, they had a supply train up and running, which eased the burden considerably. The Horde was just as strong, and if one counted men alone, they were on par with the Alliance forces from Theramore, almost 11,000 men, of which 1,500 were Kor'Kron. The real issue lay, much as was the case in the north, with the lack of Armour. They had no siege engines at all, and were facing off against a fully equipped and upgraded Siege Division. But even then, it wasn't particularly an issue.

The real factor was air power. In this aspect, the Horde was completely outclassed. Of air cover, there was none to be had for the Horde, the few Blood Elven units being lost during the fruitless assault on Theramore. The forces of Theramore, regrouped as Army Group South, were far ahead in this, having suffered no losses during the engagement a week ago. Lady Proudmoore knew that any form of ground assault across the Barrens would be costly, and not commensurate with the outcome. Particularly since the Horde had a whole week to prepare for them, and had ruthlessly fortified every strongpoint they could find along the narrow region. This was where the air power would come in.

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><p>On the first day of the Tenth Week, the Alliance opened up it's offensive into the Southern Barrens. There was continual resistance along the entire front, particularly in the narrow pass leading into the Barrens from Dustwallow Marsh, but they were pushed back eventually, and the Alliance continued it's march. On the second day, they reached the Battlescar, and there the situation again became ugly. For the fortifications here had been strengthened considerably, and it seeemed nigh-impossible to breach them, due to the sheer density of obstacles present. For the next two days, the situation remained stagnant, with both sides locked in an unceasing battle. It was around this time that the Air Forces finally came into play.<p>

On the morning of the Third Day, the Horde awoke to the screams of bombs dropping on them from on high. The flying machines of the Alliance proved their worth, as they completely decimated the lines of Horde fighters. The situation was made all the worse due to the closely packed frontline, and the use of incendiary bombs rather than shrapnel bombs, which spread panic among the soldiers manning the battlements. For the whole day, the bombing continued unabated, with no opposition whatsoever, and only ceased when night fell, leaving the Horde forces in trepidation for the next day. The next day proved to be a repeat of the first, with continual bombing and strafing, the din being audible as far as the Great Divide itself. Around mid-afternon, the Horde had enough and the line simply crumbled in an unexpected rout, as the demoralised Horde forces simply fled north.

When one looks at the aftermath, the Horde rout looks all the more foolish, since they had lost over 1,500 men, of which just 350 had been killed in the aerial bombardment. The rest had died on the frontline, fighting against Alliance forces. Alliance losses were also severe, some 800 men being listed as dead. The critical point had been skilfully exploited by Army Group South, however, which was the sheer concentration of air power, which demoralised and broke the Horde, in a masterstroke of psychological warfare that High Overlord Saurfang had not expected at all. Indeed, the whole operation had been based on psychological warfare, rather than on actual fighting.

Jaina Proudmoore was no stranger to how the Orcs worked. She also knew that the Horde, if pushed back continuously, would develop a strong defensive formation that would take a great deal of effort to break open, as had been the case on Mount Hyjal. however, over the years, another point had been made clear that the Horde was technologically backward, and despite their assumed indifference to this, it troubled them greatly. As such, the flying forces were devastatingly effective. During design, the gnomes had been scoffed at for the noise it made and it's overall noticeability and conspicuousness, which was in traditional warfare doctrines a taboo - everything should be muted so that when used, it had the greatest effect on the enemy. In this instance, those very faults became an asset - the buzzing and snorting of the machines, the noise of the bombs and repeater-rifles, the conspicuous zig-zagging they employed, and the aura of the enemy bearing down on the ground troops, literally flying out of the sun in an optical illusion, was to demoralise and dismay the troops fighting below. One can bolster morale against an enemy one can reach out and hit, or who has some living personage against which to vent anger. Against machines, there is no counter, and it is hard to keep spirits high when the enemy is utterly out of reach, alien to one's troops and making terrifying noises besides.

All these factors were carefully considered by the wily Mage, and she made full use of the resources at her disposal in effecting a victory where traditionally none was possible. It gave a much needed morale boost to her own forces, and the Horde was made aware of the embarassing lack of counters to a threat they had never fully respected. The rout was an outcome of mostly psychological tricks, and less due to the fighting on the ground. Saurfang's rage can be only be guessed when he saw this happen, and it is no surprise that the first thing he did was to summarily execute Warlord Gar'Dul, who had been in charge of the battlements, and who, in a shameful display, had been the first to break ranks and flee, dishonoring his clan and his family. The incident also showed the importance of selecting the right men for a task, since wrong men in command can be detrimental to troop morale.

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><p>As such when the Battlescar went under Alliance control, there was panic across much of the Barrens. But the worst reaction was from Thunder Bluff, since the loss had effectively left the corridor to Mulgore highly vulnerable. Chieftain Bloodhoof decided to take no further risks and, in a highly contentious move, sealed off Mulgore completely, much like King Greymane had sealed off Gilneas during the Third War. No one, not even the Tauren troops that had been sent out, were allowed back in. The isloation was to prove the city's salvation, but it also signaled a symbolic end to Tauren cooperation in the Horde offensive, since sealing off the gates effectively meant snapping all contact with the Horde, a contact which Goblin Zeppelins alone could not, and would not, bridge over. The reaction in Orgrimmar was, as expected, sheer outrage at the second act of defiance from the Tauren, and the subsequent expulsions from the city of all Tauren officers was to prove fatal in the long run.<p>

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><p>Roughly two days after the Alliance opened up it's front in the south, Army Group Shuriken launched an assault upon Silverwind Refuge and Nightsong Woods in an attempt to dislodge the Horde from their Ashenvale garrisons. To their surprise, the lumber mills were empty. Indeed, after considerable scouting, they realised that virtually no Orcish troops were present at all in the region. This elicited a very cautious optimism from General Feathermoon, since she was aware that it could be just a deception for an ambush tactic strike, which could potentially derail a fledgling revival of the Alliance advantage. As such, the AG advanced slowly, checking continuously along the path for tricks, and finding none. This took the better part of two days, after which the conviction was absolute that there were no Horde forces at all in the Ashenvale region, barring a small force near Nightsong Woods which was easily overrun, and later concluded to have been abandoned in a retreat. This was later proved by checks made on captured Warsong orders, which showed that an entire infantry company of Warsong Grunts had been told to hold onto Raynewood junction in Nightsong Woods, and had not received orders to retreat, leading to their abandonment and eventual destruction.<p>

Encouraged by this, the AG moved all the way to the Mor'Shan Ramparts, and it was here that they finally encountered ferocious resistance. As it turned out, the Ashenvale Region had been abandoned in a tactical maneuver. The Mor'Shan rampart now resembled a fortress in itself, with more men and siege tanks guarding that one pass than men guarding Orgrimmar's gates. The first action resulted in a swift repulsion of the Alliance advance, as the assault petered out against well entrenched and determined Orcs, who had absolutely no intention of letting the Alliance enter the Northern Barrens. Casualties were severe for the Night Elves, who had led the assault, with over 2,000 dead on the first day of the assault alone. In addition, the Night Elves also lost 20 of their Glaive Throwers, which proved ineffective in the face of overwhelming firepower from the Horde Siege Division straddling the Rampart. The next day was just as fruitless, though the casualties were less severe.

All in all, at the start of the Eleventh Week, AG Shuriken lost 2,800 fighters in two days alone. They were being held in check against a well supplied and reinforced military frontier, since Tauren units were observed manning the Ramparts. In addition, the presence of several Undead and Blood Elf soldiers as well nearby seemed to indicate that Mercenary recruitment had taken place here as well, with the balance tilitng sharply towards the Horde. In effect, a stalemate had yet again been formed.

Undaunted by this, General Feathermoon ordered the Draenei forces to advance along the eastern highway into Azshara, to open up a second front and pressurise the Horde further. It was judged that Horde opposition was wholly concentrated around the Mor'Shan Rampart, and that there would be little to contend with on the Azshara frontier. This was to be a mistaken assumption. The Draenei advanced along the Easten Highway, and found that Splintertree Post was similarly empty. This raised questions as to what awaited them further along the road. and sure enough, they found that the bridge to Azshara had been heavily fortified by Goblin Rifle troops. The Draenei decided to not attempt a fruitless Infantry assault, since they had witnessed the slaughter at the Ramparts, and decided ona more ingenious solution. This decision was made partly on the knowledge of a secondary front that they knew would soon open up.

* * *

><p>The secondary front was opened by the Night Elven Navy. After the destruction of Zoram'Gar, it had spent the previous two weeks sailing around northern Kalimdor to prepare an assault upon Azshara from the sea. At first, this seemed like madness, since the Azshara region was hostile to Ships, with jagged reefs and unpredictable shallows. Worse, the Goblins had heavily fortified Bilgewater Harbour, and the entire region was studded with sea-mines, to deter any Naval assault on the region. HOwever, the narrow silt-beaches were relatively unguarded, as the standard doctrine had calculated that to attempt a landing on those beaches was sheer folly. And it was, in theory, and if the tides were high.<p>

At low tide, however, there was considerable exposure of land to allow a small strike force to be landed and which could advance along the beaches and inland. This was exactly what had been planned, the troops being selected for this operation some time ago, most of them were already on board and had been the ones covering the Draenei advance on Zoram'Gar some weeks ago with a hailstorm of arrows. This small assault group, aptly called Taskforce Rogue, landed in Azshara on the night of the fourth day, during a low-tide situation. Their landing was carried out in complete darkness, a highly risky attempt, but which paid off handsomely (_in a considerable stroke of luck, there was a half-moon in the sky to offer some guidance_). This also resulted in them being completely undetected by the Goblin advance warning system, since conventional wisdom dictated that no one could be foolhardy enough to carry out an assault in such conditions, and as most of their attention was focused on the Draenei near the bridge to Ashenvale. Having done this, the fleet sailed away to some distance, to advance again once the port had been taken.

The Draenei, in the meantime, had done little except grimly hold out against atempts by the Goblin troops to push them off - no doubt bolstered by the assumption that they had managed to successfully halt the Alliance assault. However, a Stormcrow flew in from the direction of the port on the morning of the fifth day, which the Goblins noted with some surprise, but were not overtly concerned. Around midday, the front opened up again, but with a massive cavalry charge form the Elekks. The surprising assault apart, the Elekks itself frightened some of the Goblins considerably, and the frontline began to quake under the assault, which was soon followed up by an Infantry charge which attempted to seize the advantage caused by the sudden cavalry assault. Just as the Goblins began to respond to this, they were stunned when a barrage of arrows, so thick that in the words of one Goblin soldier, it "_blotted out the sun_", came upon them from their rear. Taskforce Rogue had managed to sneak up on the enemy as the Draenei had begun their assault, and had taken up superior postions in the hills nearby, from where they rained down death upon the unwary Goblin forces.

Demoralised by the suddenness of the assault, from both sides at that, the bulwark shattered completely and the Goblin Rifle Forces, which turned out to be just a singel infantry Division in strength of the Bilgewater Cartel's security forces, broke into a rout, fleeing toward the Orgrimmar Gates. They did not reach the gates however, as they Elekk Cavalry were able to chase down and eliminate most of them. Only a few stragglers reached the gates, which were in the process of being sealed, more as a precautionary measure than anything else. It was enough to set off alarm bells ringing across the entire city, since the very proximity of Alliance forces unnerved the Orcs more than anything else.

The Draenei, having regrouped with Taskforce Rogue, had no intention however, of an immediate siege of Orgrimmar. Instead, they waited until evening, when low-tide condidtions prevailed, and launched an assault upon Bilgewater Harbour. In response to signal flares ent up by elements from Taskforce Rogue, the Night Elven Navy sailed into close proximity and proceeded to lay waste to the coastal defences, there being Glaive Throwers on board specially procured for this purpose. By midnight, the Port was in Draenei hands, the fires from the port visible all the way from the Orgrimmar Guard Towers. The silence of the Darnassus Gun was also proof of the fall, since it had been firing in a steady rhythm all day, and had abruptly stopped around evening. The Alliance reaction to seeing the Gun for the first time was also notable, there being absolute incredulity at the sheer size of the Gun, to the noise it made when fired.

Among the most notable symbols of the war in Kalimdor was taken during the seige of the Port. Taken from a new Gnomish invention that allowed portraits to be taken instantaneously (the Gnomes called it a Photographic Machine), it showed a Draenei Shaman and a Night Elven Ranger fighting side-by-side, firing lightning-bolts and arrows alike into the enemy while standing on a pile of corpses of Orcs, Trolls and Goblins, with a blazing oil-slick in the background, and their comrades charging the enemy in the foreground. It became one of the most inspiring images of the fighting, and even today remains a highly-remembered image, inspiring plays and songs upon the ones who bravely fought in the reclamation of Azshara. By the third day of the Twelfth Week, the Draenei were in complete control of Azshara, and all set to begin their assault on the rear gates of Orgrimmar. Their eagerness was palpable, to bring what they felt was retribution to the butchers of Shattrath.

* * *

><p>For the Horde, there was utter panic at the loss. The defeat set off warnings all over Kalimdor, at the thought of the Alliance virtually at the doorstep of Orgrimmar brought the spectre of defeat looming right over them. In a move seen as reckless by all standards, Warchief Hellscream ordered half of the defending forces from the Northern, and half of the forces from the Southern Barrens, to retreat to Orgrimmar <em>immediately<em>, so as to provide some defence to the northern entrance. It was met with protesting bleats from every army commander, since they were being hard-pressed on both these fronts by the Alliance, and it seemed a suicidal move, since it would take these troops almost a week to reach Orgrimmar and set up a defensive cordon in the rear. However, they were completely overruled, and accordingly, four Infantry divisions were poached from the frontlines to defend the rear. This greatly weakened the already precarious postions the Horde held in both frontiers.

What the Horde did not know, could not know, was that it was a coldly planned maneuver. General Feathermoon knew, much like Lady Proudmoore knew, that any form of ground assault against core Horde forces would prove disastrous in the Barrens. However, both handled it in their own unique way. In General Feathermoon's case, she had used Naval and Draenic assets to full efficiency, resulting in not just territorial and strategic gains, but also serving as a distraction for the Horde, and forcing the Horde into weakening their frontlines when they should have strengthened it. It was but one of several steps to bring the Horde to ruin, and the worst of it was that the Horde unwittingly cooperated with it.

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><p>Meanwhile, a significant even occurred, not in Kalimdor, and not in the Eastern Kingdoms, but rather, in Northrend. More specifically, in Dalaran. The Silver Covenant had been stealthily amassing political and military support, whilst denuding the Sunreaver faction, to the point that political tensions were rising swiftly in what had been until then a neutral city. Rumours of treachery proliferated, and the streets were almost empty, a dread pallor of apprehension, fear and suspicion resting all over the city, as if waiting for the sudden outbreak of some horrifying apparition. Assassinations seemed to be the order of the day, with prominent offficials dying on both sides amost daily. And it was fast approaching tipping point.<p>

And in the Twelfth Week of the War, **_civil war_** broke out in Dalaran, stoked by the Silver Covenant. It raged for three days, of continous fighting, in which more magical energies were dispersed than in the defence of Dalaran nearly 14 years ago against the Scourge. It resulted in their victory, as well as the death of Archmage Aethas Sunreaver of the Six, and Dalaran passed into the hands of the fanatically anti-Horde faction of Veeresa Windrunner. The subsequent outcome was the execution - often referred to as the **Great Slaughter** - of _every_ Horde officer in Dalaran, as well as _every_ Horde mercenary, representative and Ambassador, an event which has defined Dalaran since then. The streets of Dalaran today, instead of their usual purple, now are tinged a light maroon due to the blood spilled on them, in copious amounts, in a week that shocked much of Azeroth, even with all the brutality of the War surrounding them. The corpses of the Horde were defiled further by being dragged through the streets by the Silver Covenant troops, and unceremoniously flung off from Krasus Landing and into the forest below, where they were devoured by the lifeforms that proliferated there. Aethas Sunreaver died in pain, being tortured by continuous exposure to fel energies for three days after his capture, and finally killed by being thrown off from the Violet Citadel twoers to his death in Crystalsong Forest below.

All these events, coming in close upon each other, served only to deepen the gloom in the Horde, as they saw portents of doom stalking the world for them. And the frightening part was that the worst was yet to come.

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><p><em><strong>I hate it when heavy winds knock out the telephone poles. The disruption of network traffic for a whole week was irritating, to say the least.<br>Thanks to all those who read, review, fave and sbuscribe. It really humbles me to see it happen. :D**_

_**Think that Dalaran job was extreme? Trust me, there's much worse coming up. Since the Banshee Queen has a LOT to answer for. :P  
><strong>_


	12. Part VI Chapter 1

**Part VI - Enemy at the Gates**

**Chapter 1 - Breakout, Bring Down, Batter Down**

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><p><em>For untold years, men, women and demons of all hues have tried to burst forth from Tol Barad - without success. Today, we attempt to burst in - we, the Damned - who should have been within its walls. - <em>**Highlord Darion Mograine**

The irony of it apart, the Knights of the Ebon Blade was probably the best choice to attempt a siege of Tol Barad. Harsh, relentless and unforgiving, Tol Barad complemented these grizzled men and women perfectly. For months, the island chain had been contested over by its traditional defenders, The Baradin's Wardens, and the Horde invasion force, Hellscream's Reach. Both sides had ground each other into a stalemate, with heavy losses. The conflict had also led to the loosening of several of the Prison Island's less savoury inhabitants, living, unliving and demonic alike. Battles over the few functional ports and resource nodes had only intensified, and with the outbreak of War, it had become a daily bloodbath - fortunately, most of the blood spilled had been that of Mercenaries of both sides. Indeed, the only instance in which both sides set aside their differences was to defeat a mighty Pit-Lord, Argaloth, who had nearly escaped his imprisonment in the main cell-block of Baradin Hold. Save for that one narrow escape, there had been no let up in hostility.

Tol Barad was vital in other aspects too. The seas around Lordaeron were rough and unforgiving. In the past, as was the case now, most shipping had to circle around the island, often docking at its port facilities, to wait out rough tides. It represented a vital shipping lane, and was the backbone of the Horde Fleet in the Eastern Kingdoms. Recapturing the island chain would effectively deny the Horde in the Eastern Kingdoms any form of resupply from Kalimdor or Northrend, a fact that both sides were keenly aware of. It had also served as a springboard for the (_unsuccessful_) attempt made by the Horde Navy during the first invasion of Gilneas. It also had vital supplies of Pyrite and exotic Herbs, both of which were particularly needed by the Forsaken for their militaries, as well as Plague production. For these reasons, and others like it, it assumed a vital role in the War.

With the commencement of Operation Overseer, this need became top priority. And the Alliance was prepared to spend as much effort as was needed to recapture the vital zone. It was a tremendous effort, nonetheless. Fortunately for them, the initial stage of the assault was fairly simple, since the Baradin's Wardens held a near unshakeable grip on the eastern section of Tol Barad Peninsula, allowing the deployment of Division S fairly rapidly. The objective was to sweep the forces of Hellscream's Reach off the Peninsula, and then push toward the vital bridgehead into Tol Barad. However, Highlord Mograine decided to do it in a characteristically unorthodox fashion.

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><p>Division S arrived on Tol Barad on the second day of Week Thirteen. They had set sail from Menethil Bay almost immediately after it's capture, and they had faced no resistance during the journey, or even during the landings <em>(the reason for the conspicuous absence of the Horde Navy will be explained soon)<em>. As such, the Alliance Fleet, which had transported the Division to Tol Barad, was mostly intact, comprising some 15 ships of the line, of which 5 were the super-heavy Destroyer ships that had been deployed around the time of the Northrend Campaign. The Division was mostly fresh, having rested and refitted for the duration of the military assault carried out by Army Group Valiance. They opened up their offensive on the third day of the Week, facing heavy resistance from Hellscream's Reach troops.

However, the Ebon Blade had devised a rather unscrupulous tactic. They had calculated, correctly, that the Horde forces would make a fighting retreat to the Bridge to Tol Barad, and attempt to bottleneck the Division there. To prevent this, the Ebon Blade had deployed some of its finest fighters, some 200 men in all, near the bridge itself. Almost all of them followed the path of the Unholy way, which laid a strong emphasis on disease and summoned creatures - which was the centre point of the plan. The rest of the division carried out the slow, grinding assault across the peninsula, having to contend not only with Hellscream's Reach forces, but also with bandits from Rustberg (_though this was only a momentary issue, most were felled to disease and raised into undeath, to have a particularly nasty impact on the Horde_). The fighting reached a crescendo near the Farson Keep, with the crazed inhabitants hitting out at all they could see. But the balance was unfairly tilted towards Division S. With their ability to resurrect the dead, it was a losing battle for their Horde opponents.

Faced with the prospect of utter annihilation, Commander Zanoth ordered his men to fall back to the bridge to Tol Barad. He felt that if he could bottleneck his forces on the bridge, there would be still a fighting chance against the Death Knight military. However, he was to learn the hard way that he and his men had been carefully manoeuvred into a death trap. Blocking the path of his men up the hill were not Death Knights - not alone, in any case. Piles of corpses, taken from Rustberg, had been laid along the path, impeding their movement. And the fatal blow was struck when those 200 Knights at the top of the hill used an ability they referred to as the Army of the Dead. Faced with such insurmountable odds, it was over for those unfortunate soldiers. To their credit, they fought bravely and died without fear, and this was expressly mentioned by Highlord Mograine. In respect for their courage, they were honorably buried, rather than resurrected as would have been the case - a rare case of honour in a conflict where the term had been rendered nearly obsolete.

It however, was to be far worse for the Horde. Some Baradin's Wardens had been present on the main island, and they were the second part of Highlord Mograine's assault dictum. As far as the Ebon Blade was concerned, only the peninsula was strategically important, with its many docks and ports. The main island, which was a massive prison complex, was not particularly so. Accordingly, the Baradin's Wardens there did an almost unthinkable act - they opened every cellblock, unleashing whatever frightful horrors that had lain within for centuries. They then beat a hasty retreat to the bridge. The Horde forces were not aware of this manoeuvre, but did harass the retreating Baradin's Wardens, assuming that it was an act of implicit surrender to retreat from the main island. It was only after the unearthly howls and shrieks from their rearguard reached them that they realised their folly, by when it was too late. For bearing down on them were more demons and crazed prisoners than they could have thought of, and in the process, they allowed the Baradin's Wardens to escape with minimal losses - out of 200 men, they had lost but 20, where the Hellscream's reach had lost all of their own.

But, as some of the Death Knights have remarked, the whole operation was a "_damned close-run thing"_. For hardly had the last Warden crossed over, than the bridge was blown up. This was the third part of the plan, and it had been on a timer, so unquestionably, it had been a race, not just against time, but against death itself. The blowing up of the bridge severed all contact with the island, leaving all who were stranded there to die quite a miserable death, and as some testimonies have shown, the screams of those unfortunate Horde forces could be still heard for some days afterwards. Phase Two of Operation Overseer was complete. The final phase was beginning.

* * *

><p>As this was progressing, Army Group Valiance in the Wetlands managed to force the EKEF militaries past the Thandol Span and into the Arathi Highlands. The EKEF had attempted to hold the bridge as a chokepoint, but there had been no counter to the Alliance artillery, which dislodged them from their positions and sent them into a rout. Seeing no other option, the Blightcaller ordered a general retreat, as fast as was possible, to the Thoradin's Wall, and to the ruins of Stromgarde. There was one last resource the EKEF could use, and by then, it became obvious that it was a make-or-break situation, for if it did not work, nothing else would.<p>

The result was a massive charge across the Arathi Highlands. The Alliance, freed from the restriction of the narrow manoeuvres of the Wetlands, exploded across the Arathi Highlands in a swarm. Also, for the first time in warfare, the Tanks led from the front, the infantry following from behind, unlike the case of traditional warfare. It has since then become the standard for all armies, and the development of the Tank as an independent arm, rather than the infantry support role they had played so far. With virtually no significant resistance, the Alliance had no trouble in a headlong advance along the entire Arathi Highlands. The EKEF retreat was further harried by continuous air strikes against them. The Horde Air Force, miniscule as it was, had little to no effect, and was decimated in the skies over the Highlands, effectively ending all air cover for the rest of the campaign. Their futile death rides remind one irresistibly of the situation as it was for the Alliance at the beginning of the War.

The EKEF, understandably, followed a scorched earth policy as they retreated. They continuously sabotaged roads, the two functional farms _(Go'Shek and Dabyrie_), and Hammerfall was completely blown up, all to deny resources and delay the Alliance as much as possible. It worked, at least partially, since the Army Group did halt for at least a few hours to form up at each block, before relentlessly pushing on. A division was deployed into the Arathi Basin region, which was successfully captured, though not without considerable damage to the resource nodes - the Lumber Mills and the Mines had been caved in by the Forsaken in their retreat, delaying the inevitable recapture.

As such, for the better part of the Thirteenth Week, the Alliance faced little or no resistance, save for the recapture of Hammerfall and Arathi Basin. But it was at Thoradin's Wall and the Ruins of Stromgarde that the advance was halted. The Forsaken had, since the beginning of the War, been bunkering down near the wall, so as to make it an impregnable bulwark. Reduced as the EKEF was, it was still significantly large enough to hold the wall without any issues. The ruins of Stromgarde were occupied by freshly-risen undead under the traitor Prince Galen Trollbane. As such, it was a formidable barrier the Alliance had to deal with - bristling with cauldrons of Boiling Oil, Plague and other equally detestable substances, the last few Horde Siege Engines deployed as artillery on the other side, the two narrow passes through the wall heavily held as chokepoints by a desperate EKEF, who were more than ready to give up everything, if it would halt the Alliance advance.

It is ironic to note that within three months, the Horde was back to square one in terms of territorial gain. It corresponds, rather chillingly, to the same area of land that the Horde took in the Second War, a though which must have been quite sobering to both sides, since the implications it carried were by no means pleasant ones.

* * *

><p>Stromgarde proved to be relatively easy. While mighty were its walls, they were old, and decayed, combined with neglect over decades. As such, when the Alliance Siege Tanks opened up on the walls, they collapsed like so many rotten stones inwards, and a swift, ruthless infantry assault put an end to the renegade Prince's misery. His execution, which was personally overseen by General Crowley, was more of a blessing to the undead Prince than any sentence. It is rumoured he offered his thanks as he died. The capture of Stromgarde was over within a day. But it served its primary purpose, to distract the Alliance military long enough for the Forsaken to put the final touches to their fortifications at Thoradin's Wall.<p>

Nonetheless, the Alliance did attempt to siege the Wall, with ill-result. While casualties were not severe, it was frustrating to the Alliance. Siege Engines had seemingly no effect on the Wall, for old as it was, it was still extremely strong, and there seemed absolutely no way to blast through, unless there was some sabotage from the other side. Unknown to the EKEF, plans were already in motion to this effect.

* * *

><p>The Military Triumvirate (<em>as the council of Crowley and the Wlidhammers was called<em>) was not unaware of the Thoradin's Wall impasse, for they had received intelligence to this effect much earlier, sometime around the battles of Dun Morogh. Orders had been given accordingly to sabotage the effort as much as possible, and the team of Lord Boxley and Agent Dawnwhisper had done this to remarkable effect (_see Part 2/Chapter 3_). Unknown to the Forsaken, the Thoradin's Wall was a trap - mined from beneath with explosives, arcane bombs and every other combustible substance imaginable, planted over several weeks. The EKEF had been so focused on the front that it had paid little or no attention to the security of the Wall (_at that time, the mood had been such that its use was believed unnecessary_). This had resulted in the wall being vulnerable to explosives planted in its very foundations by the skilled SI:7 teams. Added to that was that the Wall was present over a Ley-Line (_quite the coincidence_) and the stage was set. In addition to this, Phase Three of Operation Overseer was in progress. The combination of these two factors was to prove the end of Horde military cohesion.

Phase Three of Operation Overseer was both a simplistic concept, and a challenging one. It was, simply put, a massive amphibious assault along the entire Hillsbrad Foothills shoreline, as well as the Gilneas Peninsula, with a sufficiently large force to act as an Anvil to the hammer of Army Group Valiance, which would push through the very next day after the amphibious landings. It can be imagined that the logistics and planning for this feat were enormous, and undoubtedly so. The staging area for the assault was Tol Barad, hence the need to capture the island chain. The success of this endeavour effectively opened the door for the assault.

The biggest problem to be tackled was with what to attack. The bulk of the Alliance armies were ensconced at Thoradin's Wall. Any attempt to extricate the forces there would have led to the EKEF being suspicious, and thereby put the effort into peril. Therefore, the amphibious assault group was comprised entirely of Alliance mercenaries. They were invited in large numbers, every single guild that the Alliance had was involved in the operation. The reward was simple - the right to loot, steal and pillage any Forsaken controlled region they encountered, with all the spoils of the Hillsbrad region to be given to them alone, to do with as they pleased. It was an irresistible offer, and the large turnout of mercenaries - some 4,000 men and women in all, of every Alliance race - was proof enough of it. In addition, some 500 men from Legion VII under Lord Wyrmbane were also present, to organise the mercenaries into Divisions and to spearhead the assault on Gilneas.

The commander of this mercenary force was Lord Danath Trollbane, who had just returned from Outland, and his force known as the Sons of Lothar were the leading edge of the assault. Over the previous few weeks, they had been assembling in Westfall, from where the Alliance Navy had gathered them and shipped them to Tol Barad, closely following the Division S flotilla. Immediately after the capture of the island, they had docked there and resupplied and regrouped, awaiting the final order for the assault. It was now, as the saying goes, just a matter of time.

In this way, by the time the Forsaken fortified themselves at the Wall, Army Group Valiance's patient halt and recapture of Stromgarde _(which now served as the frontline headquarters for the Alliance Military)_ and the recapture of Tol Barad, the Thirteenth Week went by, and the second day of the Fourteenth Week had dawned.

* * *

><p>The signal for the assault was an ingenious one. General Crowley was fully aware that the Forsaken would immediately resort to the Plague, in massed quantities, if the assault succeeded, and therefore had taken steps to ensure that this would never happen. In this measure, the SI:7 teams proved yet again their usefulness, though in an entirely indirect fashion. Agent Dawnwhisper had, through ingenious means, secured the cooperation of the remains of the Scarlet Crusade. These few he put to use in a characteristically ruthless fashion. Over the past few weeks, the stragglers from Northrend and the rest of the Eastern Kingdoms, which numbered less than 600 men and women in all, gathered near the ruins of the Scarlet Monastery in Tirisfal Glades, for one last final strike against the enemy they so heartily despised. For in their fanatical zeal, they saw no difference between the Scourge and the Forsaken <em>(and after the examination of the horrors under the Ruins of Lordaeron, many others today have come to think the same)<em>, and were only too willing to strike wherever possible.

As such, on the dawn of the second day, these last few brave men and women launched an insane and improbably successful assault on Agamand Mills in Tirisfal. The factor of total surprise worked in their favour, and gave them enough time to carry out their principal objective, namely the utter destruction of Agamand Mills. In doing so, they completely disrupted the entire Plague production capacity of the Forsaken beyond repair, effectively ending the use of the Forsaken's greatest weapon against their enemies. It was the most fatal blow the Forsaken earned, and it was the last step in the course of a bloody path to ruin that had been built for them.

The Scarlet Crusade ended there, when a few hours later, a massive Deathguard Force from the Undercity, outnumbering them five-to-one, came upon them and annihilated them, in a fight to death. None survived, and as such, they passed into legend. It has often been wondered what drove those men and women to such an extreme step. Perhaps it was desperation. Perhaps a need to do at least something worthy before an inevitable demise. Or perhaps the simplest explanation is that they knew that their memories of Old Lordaeron, its ancient glory, were lost and were never going to come back. Their Lordaeron was dead, and they intended to go with it in the most fitting way they could think of, in chime with Lordaeron's carnage-ridden past, a fitting end for a people who had lost so much that its weight was almost too great to bear.

* * *

><p>Tragic though it was, the signal was sent by the SI:7 teams that there was no more Plague in production. And at this, General Crowley relayed his orders to the Alliance Fleet to start the Third Phase. And on the evening of the second day, the largest amphibious operation in Azeroth's history commenced, as the fleet carrying some 6,000 men (<em>Division S and the Sons of Lothar included, along with 4,000 mercenary troops, split into two Divisions<em>) started out from Tol Barad. A speech by the young King Anduin Wrynn, circulated among all the mercenaries in the fleet, was the signal that it had finally begun. In the words of the new King, it was not merely a military effort, it was a "**Grand Crusade**" - a crusade to end once and for all a monstrous tyranny that had plunged the Eastern Kingdoms (_and Gilneas in particular_) into its bloodiest war, shattered the hopes of whole nations, and placed upward of two million people (_this figure included the population of Old Lordaeron and Gilneas_) in vile bondage (_at that time, none were aware of the full extent of the Royal Apothecary Society's barbaric experiments, their ruthlessness, slave labour and death by starvation, torment and Plague exposure_).

The fleet took the better part of the Third Day to manoeuvre into position along the shores, out of sight. By nightfall, they were ready. At midnight, the first few waves of Gryphonhawk Riders from the Wildhammer Clan carried out reconnaissance flights in the dark, observing Forsaken Troop movements and relaying the reports to Lord Trollbane. As dawn broke the next day, their movements were further aided by the presence of a thick mist, which obscured the view from the shoreline, and left the Forsaken unaware of the force bearing down on them from the sea. And so, on the morning of Day Four of the Fourteenth Week, the assault opened up. It was overwhelming to the Forsaken, who were in rest, to be woken to the screams of mercenaries as they landed upon the beaches and stormed inland, killing and hacking away at everything they could reach. The assault progressed on five beach-heads - (_Trade, Old, Cathedral, Park and Dwarven Beaches (named after the five districts of Stormwind City_).

Trade Beach was the strip of land near the Azurelode Mine, Dwarven was the strip near Dun Garok, Park was the strip where the River emptied into the Sea, Cathedral was Southshore Town proper, Old was the Gilneas Beach near the Emberstone Mine, from where there was a direct road into Gilneas City. Except for the landings near Southshore, where many died due to drowning in the Plague and muck ridden shoreline, the other landings went very smoothly. Casualties for the landings were surprisingly low, with a little over 950 men killed, mostly in Southshore where they drowned as they attempted to land and take the town, which had a mostly token garrison to guard it, and which fled at the first opportunity further north to the Sludge Fields.

By midday, the landing group, called Taskforce Overseer, had reached the central highway across the Foothills, and barricaded the road, ensconcing themselves near the ruins of Durnholde Keep. The primary focus point was the Eastpoint Tower, from where a signal flare was sent up to indicate to the forces beyond the Wall that all was ready. A smaller group of some 800 soldiers went north and ravaged Tarren Mill, dislodging the Forsaken garrison there (_some 400 men in all, of which just 175 survived_) who fled west to the Sludge Fields, regrouping with the shattered remnants of other Forsaken forces in the Foothills. In Gilneas, the landings were amazingly successful, and the military force of some 800 men _(of which 500 were Legion VII troopers)_ entered Gilneas City without resistance, linking up with some 1,500 soldiers of the Gilneas Liberation Front (**GLF**) already present there. This united force smashed hard against the Horde bulwark up North, who were stunned by the suddenness of the attack as well as the numbers they were facing. In panic, most of the Horde Forces retreated, leaving the Alliance in complete control of the Gilneas sector. The rest of the week was spent in picking off stragglers still left in the region, all of whom were slain mercilessly by the Worgen military groups.

In an added insult to the Horde, the Bilgewater Logistics fleet had been depositing its supplies that very day. They had been sailing away after doing so when they were intercepted by the Alliance Navy, which had been heading north cut off the last Forsaken controlled Ports. The sudden engagement on the seas left the Goblins woefully unprepared for the task of fighting it out and their entire fleet was sunk. This effectively snapped the last line of communication the Eastern Kingdoms had with the Kalimdor forces - a fact that never was realised by the Horde until the very last days of the War. In addition, the retreating Horde forces in Gilneas had failed to take the supplies with them in their haste, resulting in their being captured by the Alliance forces, who put them to good use.

* * *

><p>Snapping back to the Hillsbrad Foothills, the signal flare was sent up at the second hour of the afternoon. This was observed by an SI:7 group hiding near the hill overlooking Durnholde Keep. Upon doing so, they sent up their own flare, alerting all Alliance forces on the other side to fall back as far as possible, the time given being ten minutes from the flare being launched. This was duly noted. The Forsaken observed this, and coupled with the reports of the landings, realised that in some way, they were doomed, since they did make a desperate last attempt to flee the Wall, abandoning their positions. They did not respond as swiftly, however. At the end of ten minutes, Agent Boxley slammed down the ratchet on the explosive primer. The resultant series of explosions were so massive that even the SI:7 had to shield their eyes against the dust flying into the air and the glare of the explosions. The noise made was audible as far away as Frostwolf Hold in Alterac Valley, whereupon Drek'Thar was said to have remarked <em>"And so, the Forsaken are now truly forsaken. Spirits help us all."<em>

Not half an hour passed after the explosions than the dust settled to reveal that the Wall was now completely in ruins, allowing all to cross over with complete ease. In some areas, large chasms had been rent in by the force of the blow, but which were no significant obstacle to the Alliance forces. The simply swarmed over the wall, right into the unfortunate EKEF forces, who were badly shaken by the blow dealt, and with the resultant low morale, they put up no fight, but simply fled. Casualties for them were enormous, losing most of their military strength, including the last of their precious Siege Engines in the aftermath. Among the casualties was General Nathanos Blightcaller himself, and a large number of the Dark Ranger commanders. Of the Forsaken strength of numbers, none was left save for some 3,400 broken and defeated troops. Combined with the shattered remnants of the garrisons of Hillsbrad and Gilneas, they were less than 8,000 men in all. Facing them were the victorious, high-morale forces of the entire Eastern Kingdoms Alliance, numbering now some 17,500 men and women, with 350 Siege Engines.

* * *

><p>By the end of the Fourteenth Week, the EKEF was pushed all the way to the Southpoint Gate, broken, beaten and harassed. They had, by then received the information of the destruction of Agamand Mills, the fall of Gilneas and the destruction of their Supply Fleet. The prospect of defeat now became a terrifying reality for them. The only silver lining was that information had been received that the Silvermoon Army, of some 3,500 Blood Elves in all, was marching down the Western Plaguelands, and would arrive at the Undercity in a week's time. It did little to cheer up the Horde, however, since by then morale had fallen to abysmal levels. Not since the end of the Third War had the situation looked as bleak in Lordaeron as it did now.<p>

Little did the Forsaken know what was yet to come in the Battle for the Undercity.

* * *

><p><strong><em>So, can anyone point out all the historical references made so far? Let's see if you can, hmm?<em>**


	13. Part VI Chapter 2

_**First off, I know there has been a bit of delay, but with purpose. I know most of you are more eager to know what happens next in the Eastern Kingdoms, so I wrote both the Kalimdor version and the Eastern Kingdoms situation simultaneously.**_

_**I will be posting them within an hour of each other, so enjoy the read. If the Kalimdor version seems a bit rushed, do tell me how you would want it improved, so I can edit it. I also want some inputs from you guys as to how Orgrimmar should fall, so PM me or leave it in the reviews, please.**_

_**With that, I won't interrupt you any more. Happy reading!**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 - Collapse in the Barrens<strong>

_First then, they made the wood of Cenarius a solitude,_  
><em>Slaying the demons within, the Orcs without,<em>  
><em>The feathers of the crows, the hawks enmuffling those eyes, backed with that feral grin of dread... - Ode to the Druids (translated from Darnassian)<em>

* * *

><p>The Northern Barrens were core Horde territory, as such, heavily populated and fortified. Or, at the very least, as much as could be possible in such a dry, arid region. Much like the south, it was also a formidable obstacle, but for the Night Elves, who had scoured Kalimdor for centuries before the arrival of the Orcs and their Horde, it was no trouble. They knew a great deal more of those regions than the Horde could hope to know, for it was the accumulated memory of almost ten millennia. In addition to this was Warchief Hellscream's strange order to withdraw two core divisions of Horde Infantry, and the stage was set for a terrible fight for the Horde, with the odds heavily against them.<p>

Still, there was no way past the Mor'Shan Rampart. The Rampart itself was guarded by the Siege Division under Gorlach, and one very strong Infantry Division of mostly Third War veterans. The remaining three were strung out across the Barrens, one at the crossroads, one at the Sludge Pit to the west of the Rampart, and one guarding the only bridge across the Southfury River into Durotar. All could, at a moment s notice, move up to any location in the Barrens. Added to this were the remnants of the Horde forces from the Southern Barrens, which were attempting to establish a chokepoint at the captured sector of Northwatch Hold. These numbered less than three Divisions in all, most of them battered and tired from constant fighting. Two divisions had already been taken from them for providing a rearguard to Orgrimmar, and those had been the most tired and battered of them all.

Under such conditions, traditional wisdom dictated that the series of chokepoints that the Horde had built up were probably the best option - to delay the enemy long enough to build up some fresh forces and attempt to push back. The Horde had no illusions now, for whatever semblance of overarching pride that had been present at the beginning of the War was now gone. It was replaced with a cold, hard acceptance that they were ridiculously outnumbered and outmatched in almost every sphere, and that their best hope lay in biding their time and waiting for the Alliance to tire itself out. The trouble was that the Alliance was in no mood to let up the advance, now that the scent of blood was on the winds, and it looked like the Horde was ripe to fall.

* * *

><p>At the beginning of the Thirteenth Week, the Horde had dug itself in at Northwatch Hold and the Mor'Shan Ramparts. They were determined to let no one through either gap, though the prospects of this were uninviting, when one considered that they were carrying out a holding action with exhausted troops against overwhelming forces from the Alliance. Yet, they held on grimly, knowing they had no choice. Army Group South was in control of the Southern Barrens, and was now attempting to find some form of exit path into the North, without having to face up against heavy fortifications. They eventually did find one, at the ruins of Honor's Stand. There was only a small garrison, some 250 soldiers in all, guarding it, and a few more men at Hunter's Hill. These were overcome with little effort, since almost Two Divisions worth of men had been sent up to take the region. Also, at this sector, the depth of the Great Divide was relatively low, allowing most troops to simply march across into the Northern Barrens. They did not have the issue of armoured transport, hence no attempt was made to set up a crossing of any kind - normally, this would have been unthinkable, but in the prevailing conditions, it was of no account. These two Divisions further marched into the Forgotten Pools Oasis and halted there, awaiting further instructions. To keep their movement secret, they moved by night and by Day Two, they were securely within the Oasis and avoided detection.<p>

All this was, of course, not possible without a massive distraction operation. This was precisely what was happening at Northwatch Hold. The tactic of Aerial Assault was still being followed, and Northwatch Hold was being bombed night and day to keep the Horde preoccupied. The two siege divisions in Army Group South also battered away at the gates of the Hold, further pressurising the Orcs holed up within. As one soldier recalls, the din was tremendous, and many in the Army Group had to wear earmuffs to soothe themselves. The Horde was being badly hurt, since they could push back the Siege Engines (_as they did at several points during the assault_) but against the aerial assault there was no counter, and it inflicted massive casualties. Still, the decisive push was not coming, which increased the tension of the defenders, thus keeping them fully focussed on the situation , causing them to ignore the influx of Alliance forces from Honor's Stand.

* * *

><p>Roughly around the time the two Alliance Divisions entered the Oasis, the Night Elves opened up their offensive along the Rampart. Though it was done in a completely unorthodox fashion. There was a technique perfected by mercenary fighters, which was somewhat enigmatically called a <strong>Rawrbomb<strong> _(what this word means is as yet unknown_). It had been enormously effective in the battles fought in Outland by the Cenarion Expedition, and many of the Druids had expressed interest in learning it. Over the past few months, it had become quite well used, and now it was going to be utilised to deadly effect on the Rampart.

As the third day dawned, the Horde sentries observed a flight of some thirty Stormcrows flying at a relatively low altitude toward the Ramparts. Many of the archers attempted to pick them off, and some succeeded, but there were simply too many to target at once. The Stromcrows flew right over the Rampart, and as they did, they all simultaneously transformed themselves into their Bear Forms. These crashed in from the sky in a massive charge, accompanied by feral howls and roars, into the Horde lines, and proceeded to wreak havoc upon the Horde troops there. As they were dealing with this, a second wave of Druids flew in, but instead of transforming into Bears, soft landed near their Bear Form-counterparts, and began to heal them as best as they could. This second wave was comprised almost entirely of mercenaries, and as such, their equipment made them near-invincible against the standardised Horde weaponry (_incidentally, this breed of mercenary is defined as a **Twinker** - which is a word that indicates that the individual being referred to as such wears the best equipment available at that time and is highly experienced_).

Enraged at this, Gorlach prepared his siege engines to deal with the assault, but then came a third wave of attackers, and this time, they were all Worgen. Morphing into the third animal form of Druids, the sabre-cat, these fighters launched themselves at the Engines and began to tear away at their mostly Goblin crews. In panic, many of them abandoned their engines and fled, further weakening the line. Within an hour, most of the Rampart was focussed inwards, dealing with the sudden assault by these raucous Druids. This gave the Night Elves the perfect opportunity to strike, and they did so with devastating effect. By that evening, the Horde force at the Rampart had been dislodged and was slowly making its retreat back toward the Crossroads, while sending an alert to the Division at the Sludge Pit to regroup with them at the Crossroads. They had lost an entire Division at the Rampart, including their precious Engines, which left the Horde in Kalimdor with no Armour at all. Casualties for the Alliance were also somewhat high, some 700 slain and nearly twice that number wounded.

* * *

><p>By the Fifth Day, the Horde had managed to reach the Crossroads and barricade themselves in. Anticipating an assault from the North, they deployed most of their fresher troops up the northern perimeter, and kept mostly exhausted troops at the southern gates. However, the Division from the Sludge Pits had not yet arrived, and there had been only the Division already present at the Crossroads as reinforcement. The delay in arrival could be attributed to the fact that nearly every messenger sent to notify the forces at the Sludge Fen was intercepted by advance groups of Rogues and Druids, who made short work of them. Hence, the Horde forces at the Crossroads totalled some 4,000 men in all.<p>

As this was happening up north, Army Group South managed to push the Horde out of Northwatch Hold and further down the coast toward Ratchet. The neutral Town had long since been abandoned _(since the first week of the war)_ and the Horde Forces decided to attempt a similar holding pattern there. But they were less in number now, thanks to the terrible attrition suffered at Northwatch, and most were badly shaken, with morale running low among all troops in the line. Their strength was a little over 5,000 men, and in spite of the fighting, most of the units had maintained cohesion, a remarkable feat in itself when one considers the strain they were under.

Ratchet became quite a bloody affair for Army Group South. The narrow passage to the Town, as well as the convoluted nature of the streets in the Town, allowed the Horde to effectively use the terrain to their advantage, and the Alliance was unable to make a decisive breakthrough. They could rotate their lead units, but otherwise could not make their superior numbers tell. Also, the airstrikes had temporarily halted due to the Flying Machines needing maintenance and refit, as well as rest for their exhausted pilots. Once again, the Horde had narrowly escaped a slaughter. The halt in the advance also brought some encouragement to the Horde troops, as it seemed their stratagem was finally working. As for the Alliance, their frustration grew as they were unable to advance, and their casualties were increasing steadily, some 1,200 troops already killed since the opening of the Week. They could only wait now for the operations up north to proceed, and give them a tactical advantage they could utilise, and which they badly needed to dislodge the Horde from Ratchet.

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><p>As the Fourteenth Week started, the Crossroads garrison had still not received their backup, and they wondered what the continual delay was for. They did not know that the Glaive Division from Army Group Shuriken, backed up by a Sentinel Division, had wiped out the Horde force stationed at the Sludge Fen. The rest of the Army Group had continued the march down to the Crossroads, and had managed to successfully link up with the hidden Divisions in the Forgotten Pools Oasis. This hidden group took up positions on the eastern Gold Road, while another two Divisions from Army Group Shuriken positioned themselves on the road to Ratchet. The Horde force at the Crossroads was, in effect, being encircled. This state of affairs became woefully clear after they noted that not even a single one of their messengers was returning, leading them to conclude that the Alliance had effectively blocked all roads leading to the Crossroads, a conclusion which was unnerving in effect, since it indicated an overwhelming numerical superiority.<p>

On the second day, the Alliance opened up their assault on the Crossroads. There was little or no chance for the Horde to "hold out" against such numbers, and coupled with the fact that they were attacked from all sides simultaneously, they were soon overrun, predictably in a bloodbath of terrible proportions, since there were very few survivors, all prisoners taken by the two Divisions from Army Group South. Out of the 4,000 men who had held the Crossroads, less than 300 were still alive. The fighting itself lasted but for two days. And it also effectively wiped out what little was left of the Horde command structure in the North, the only consolation being that Lord Saurfang had departed for Durotar the previous week itself, a move which had possibly averted his demise.

Flush with this victory, four Alliance Divisions, which included the two from Army Group South, marched down the Ratchet road and launched an assault on the Horde forces in the town. The attack from their rear completely caught the Horde unawares, since they had not known of the fall of the Crossroads, as they were completely focused on fighting Army Group South. Caught in a pincer as they were, they fought desperately, but to no avail. Even with this, it took the rest of the Fourteenth Week to completely subdue all resistance in the town, which resulted in severe casualties for the Horde, some 3,500 men being slain. Only the Kor'Kron Division survived the assault, having fought its way out of the pincer, and giving a fighting retreat down the Southfury River towards Far Watch Post, where another Horde Infantry Division was stationed.

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><p>Casualties for the Alliance were quite bad. At the beginning of the Thirteenth Week, the total Alliance strength in Kalimdor had been some 19,500 troops and 750 Siege Weapons <em>(all types)<em>. This was down to 14,000 troops and 600 Siege Weapons _(all types)_ by the end of the Fourteenth Week. In effect nearly 5,500 casualties had been reported in two weeks alone and that too for just the Barrens. It was a cruel irony - rivers of blood had been spilled over tracts of land which in peacetime, not the poorest of Orcs would have bothered their heads over. Horde casualties were severe too, some 6,000 men being killed. But it is agreed that had there not been air support, the casualties for the Alliance would have been much higher. It was a harsh lesson, nonetheless, and it showed that the Horde was desperate. And a cornered enemy is always dangerous.

Having linked up with Army Group South, Army Group Shuriken regrouped on the road to Durotar, facing Far Watch Post. The Horde forces, by now in want of every need and badly shaken by the defeats, quickly retreated. There was now only one thing for it, to enter Orgrimmar. The city had been substantially strengthened over the past few years, and it would take an enormous effort to siege it and capture it. If they could enter the city, they could put up a defence of it. But it was coldly obvious now that the War was now of survival. There was never going to be another resurgence, most of their critical resources being used up in the opening stages of the War, and it was all merely a delaying action to the inevitable.

Meanwhile, the Barrens became much of a slaughter-ground as the Alliance regrouped. Several Horde settlements had been built, and without the garrisons to defend them, quickly fell to Alliance troops. The Grol'Dom Farm was particularly a case in point, its unfortunate inhabitants being slaughtered mercilessly by Night Elven troops and the Farm ransacked for food and water. Up north, Nozzlepot's Outpost was completely destroyed, and every single soldier there was put to the sword, their corpses strung up on trees in a ghastly display. The Boulderlode Mine was sabotaged and blown up, burying several men within, in an apparent act of wanton destruction by Rogue units. The mercilessness of the Night Elf troops did make the Orcs more defiant, but it was a losing battle they were fighting, nonetheless. The second Orgrimmar gate was also besieged as three Night Elven Divisions, with Glaive Thrower support arrived at the secondary entrance to the city. This effectively left only the Durotar Gate open, through which the Horde was still keeping a meagre supply line running.

The Warchief, knowing that things had finally gotten out of hand, sent a desperate message via Zeppelin to Northrend, with orders that the massive Gunboat, the Orgrim's Hammer, be deployed to Durotar post haste, since there was absolutely no time to lose. The order was acknowledged and the gunboat set out, arriving in Orgrimmar sometime towards the second day of the Fifteenth Week.

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><p>Probably the most obvious indicator that the Orcs had realised the futility of what was coming could be gauged that the smaller settlement Razor Hill in Durotar was already being abandoned, most of its inhabitants fleeing to Orgrimmar seeking refuge within its walls. The Trolls, predictably, retreated from Sen'Jin Village and onto the Darkspear Isles, buttressing the few fortifications on the island as best as they could. It was a grim outlook, in general, and the fear was palpable across much of the core of Orc territory. For many, the echoes of the Second War were growing louder every day. And as this was happening, murmurs grew within Grommash Hall, of plots and plans not wholly receptive to the Warchief who many believed had led them to this crisis. Also, rather strangely <em>(it seemed to the Horde)<em>, all the Blood Elven officers, liasons and soldiers in Orgrimmar were leaving, ostensibly to assist the effort in the Eastern Kingdoms. Many, however, saw it as little better than flight in the face of an enemy which would show them no quarter.

The floodgates were creaking. And the geodesic of the Horde was slowly collapsing upon itself.

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><p><em><strong>In case you're thinking that the Alliance being so harsh is odd, it isn't. Try seeing your house getting stomped over by raucous kids - you won't be ina peaceful mood either. :P<strong>_


	14. Part VII Chapter 1

**_Author's Note: This chapter is slightly disturbing towards the end. So don't get too squeamish, eh? :P_**

**_And oh yeah, thanks to all you guys who're reading this work. It's my greatest honour to see it being read. :)  
><em>**

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><p><strong>Part VII - The Fall <strong>

**Chapter 1 - The Culling**

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><p><em>"Tremble! Quake! These are your final hours, Undercity! Our march will turn the heavens themselves crimson! Blood for the Ebon Blade - let Tirisfal drown in it!" Baron Sliver<em>

The final phase of the assault erupted on the second day of the Fifteenth Week. The Forsaken made no pretence, and made a fighting retreat within Silverpine Forest. In desperation, they raised several corpses, merely as meat shields than anything else, and threw them into the frontline, to delay the advancing Alliance forces as best as they could. It was a vain effort, for even with the freshly raised troops, the numerical ratio was almost three-to-one for the Forsaken, the Alliance being in such numbers that it seemed like an unstoppable juggernaut bearing down on them. In a frenzy of desperation, most of the Forsaken had taken to slaughtering all forms of life they encountered in Silverpine, and that meant quite literally, everything. Line discipline was at an end, most of the Forsaken soldiers often openly disobeying orders. It didn't seem to matter to these troops what happened now, for the terror of what awaited them seemed to have drowned out every other state of thought. Nonetheless, they did maintain a solid defensive line, preparing to defile the advancing enemy as best as they could.

For the Alliance, the sun shone. The final victory, which the late King Wrynn had schemed to achieve, but failed, seemed to now be within grasp. For the Worgen, it was particularly so - they had every intent of making the Forsaken suffer terribly for the invasion of Gilneas. But for many of the soldiers, entering Silverpine Forest was a bittersweet moment. Many of them were from Lordaeron, having fled as the Scourge had closed its grip during the Third War. Many were seeing their homeland for the first time in almost twelve years, and the state it was in was enough to give them a very cold fury, a sense of purpose that had not been seen throughout the campaign. Many Paladins, who accompanied the forces, were openly appalled at what they felt was an almost irredeemable land, at the damage wrought by the Plague of Undeath, and subsequently by the Forsaken. Visible too, were the traces of Forsaken experimentation and scorched earth, which only served to anger many of the Alliance forces further.

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><p>As such, when the front opened up on the third day of the Fifteenth Week, the Forsaken found themselves facing not just a supremely confident enemy, but also one which was furious and thirsting for revenge. The Forsaken, tempered with desperation, fought just as viciously. Not since the battles of Dun Morogh had the fighting been as intense as it was in Silverpine Forest that day. The Forsaken, however, made good use of the terrain, swampy and boggy as it was, to impede the march of the Alliance. For three days, the battle raged between Ambermill and the Sepulcher, the zone in the middle often changing hands as swiftly as twelve times a day. The limited movement range due to the surrounding hills and the dense forest vegetation only served to hinder the Alliance march. Casualties on both sides peaked, with the total dead being numbered as high as 2,000 all told on the first day alone.<p>

But the Forsaken were fighting a losing battle. Had there been enough Plague, the battle could have gone on endlessly, as they would have kept on resurrecting the fallen to fight for them. There wasn't enough, and as the third day dawned, the final cauldron of Plague was finally emptied. Yet, the Forsaken fought on. They had one last resort up their sleeve, one which was as devastating to their surroundings, as it would be to all within.

Many of the Royal Apothecaries were, it is true, Warlocks. And extremely powerful ones, at that. In a final act of defiance, these Warlocks called down storms of fire from the sky, setting the forest on fire. To add to this, many of the trees were dead and rotting, and made excellent fuel for the fires, resulting in the blaze spreading faster than expected. In this blazing inferno, the Alliance and Horde fought on, losing as many men to the fires and the falling trees as to each others' blades. It was indeed a terrible fight, and it has come dopwn in song and in plays as one of the fiercest and most desperate battles ever to be seen.

Even with the forest on fire, however, the Alliance did not halt. Their casualties in Silverpine were high, almost 7,000 men being lost. Many of those who were set on fire jumped into Lordamere Lake in desperation, only to be cut apart by ravenous Murlocs. The Forsaken lost some 3,500 men and an additional 3,200 freshly risen troops. The situation was worsened, since there were no longer any supplies, the Gilneas docks having come under Alliance control, and the Bilgewater Fleet sunk. The Forsaken also had, in addition to their battle-weary troops, some 1,500 more men from the Hand of Vengeance in Northrend, who had also brought with them the last of the Plague supplies _(which also did not last very long)_.

The firestorm finally ended after a small strike force of Worgen of the GLF managed to sneak past the Forsaken lines and assassinate the Apothecaries, though several Worgen were killed in the subsequent escape. But by the time the fires finally died out, there was very little left of Silverpine Forest except for a battered, burned out husk, save for a small patch near the coast.

Yet, the Forsaken were pushed back, not just because the Alliance had the advantage of superior numbers, not just because they had exhausted their Plague supplies, but because they had committed the one error that is inexcusable in War - they had lost the battle in their minds. As long as one believes one can win, and plans for it, nothing is impossible. Here, the Forsaken, demoralised and with indiscipline rife, had already considered themselves defeated, and so set themselves up for their own fall. They had become their own worst enemies. And in more ways than one, since by now, there was little to distinguish them from the Scourge, save that they wore better armour and could speak relatively intelligently. In every other way, the Scourge showed, in their casual brutality, in their indiscipline, and worst of all, in their mode of combat.

The Worgen shone in the battles for Silverpine, ruthlessly striking with overwhelming force wherever possible, and when disarmed, they were just as deadly. For them, every step they took towards the Undercity was one step closer for their vengeance against the Dark Lady for defiling their homeland. Besides, their knowledge of the terrain proved invaluable, since many of them were also soldiers from the Gilneas Liberation Front. Their hit-and-run tactics further exhausted the Forsaken, as they desperately tried to deal with all the threats facing them, and failed miserably in the process.

By the end of the Week, the Sepulcher finally fell after the Dark Irons unleashed their Warlock magic in a storm of Infernals and meteor strikes until nothing was left standing. Almost immediately as the main crypt caved in upon itself, the Forsaken broke into a total rout, and fled in disorder to the Undercity, where they sought to barricade themselves in, and hopefully decimate the Alliance with the fresh Blood Elven troops they were expecting as reinforcements.

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><p>By midday of the first day of the Fifteenth Week, Army Group Valiance entered Tirisfal. Leading the Army Group was the Ebon Blade under Lord Mograine, thirsty for retribution, seeking to free Knight Deathweaver. Following them were the Dark Iron Dwarves, maddened with the lust of slaughter. Behind them were the masses of Alliance soldiers, chomping at the bit for vengeance against the Forsaken, for by this time, they had seen nearly the complete extent of defilement wrought by them.<p>

Not since the Battle of Angrathar the Wrathgate had the Alliance been so close to victory. To their chagrin, the rear entrance to the Undercity had been collapsed by the Forsaken, which meant that only a direct assault upon the city was possible. Within a few hours, the Alliance completely encircled the Ruins of Lordaeron, waiting eagerly for the order to charge, the siege engines running at full steam.

However, General Crowley ordered a halt, knowing that a particularly nasty surprise for the Forsaken was coming to fruitition. That same evening, the Silvermoon Army arrived at the Undercity as well. They pitched camp directly in front of the gates, facing the Alliance forces, and awaited the sunrise. As the sun rose the next day, the Alliance prepared to engage the enemy directly in front of them, but Crowley refused permission, stating that there was a surprise in store. The Banshee Queen herself came upon the ramparts overlooking the city entrance, with most of the remaining Forsaken troops stationed within the ruins - she was observing the field. Clearly, she was apprehensive of what was to come. She was waiting for the Blood Elves to begin, so she could deploy her own troops.

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><p>As seen from the Alliance frontlines the situation appeared this way - The Blood Elves were being led by emissaries of the Horde, who stayed in Silvermoon as representatives. As they formed up, the emissaries gave the order to attack, but it went unheeded. They repeated the order, with no result. Angrily, the Chief Emissary spun around to reiterate his order. As he did so, most of them shuddered on their mounts, and toppled forward. And many Alliance soldiers realised at that moment that they had been shot, for their backs were peppered with arrows. As they watched in amazement, the Horde banner was slowly reeled down, and was replaced by the old Lordaeron colours. As this was happening, the entire Blood Elven army spun around and faced the Undercity walls. The moment the banner had unfurled, a tumultuous war cry went up as the Blood Elves charged the walls. It was a stunning way to announce their defection. And one can but imagine the helpless fury and horror the Forsaken must have felt.<p>

As they charged, Crowley announced that the Blood Elves had defected, and that with the ties of old, their victory would be forged. At this, he gave the order to commence, and a mass of troops swarmed the Undercity, the fury of the living unleashed at long last. The Forsaken, for their part, fought bravely, but they had no chance. The slaughter that followed turned the very air crimson, as the blood flew thick and fast. The siege engines battered down the walls, bringing them down nearly four centuries after their construction. The Forsaken attempted to halt them everywhere, at the Throne Room, at the elevators, in the halls, in every step. But the sheer numbers overwhelmed them. It was a desperate battle, with every bloody metre being fiercely contested over, every one of the city's four quarters being bled over till nothing was left standing for defence.

In spite of the hatred for the Forsaken, General Crowley has admitted that he did feel a twinge of pity, as have several other commanders, even from within the the Blood Elf units. For all their depravity, the Forsaken had fought hard, and died bravely. Which is, in a twisted way, a small form of redemption. One could still see that spark of stubborn determination that had characterised the citizens of Lordaeron, was still not completely gone from them.

Sylvanas herself was the last to be brought down, fighting in her Royal Chambers as hard as she could, knocking away many with her arrows and her terrible Banshee wails, her Deathguard elite and Deathstalker elite fighting to their last breath. But eventually, one stunning blow from General Crowley brought her to her knees and another knocked her unconscious. She was captured alive, and a terrible fate was in store for her.

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><p>Following this, the Undercity was ravaged totally. Many regions were simply blown up, and the discovery of hundreds of prisoners in the under crofts, most of them in a pitiable state, further stoked the fires of vengeance. No Forsaken was spared, save for some who were able to slip past the melee and flee to the surface, slipping away into Brill. And not for long. Many were simply torn apart where they stood, their cries of mercy ignored. Once the area had been cleared of all undead, the soldiers retreated, and explosives placed by the Dark Irons and their Ironforge cousins caved in the entire Undercity upon itself. All tunnels were stamped out, completing the destruction so utterly that today, only a few traces remain of what lay beneath, traces that will soon wear away with time, as they have already begun to do so.<p>

Not a few hours after this, the Alliance exploded across Tirisfal in a storm of death and destruction, slaughtering every single form of undeath they could see, or any Horde officers unlucky enough to be in the region. Brill was razed to the ground, most of the inhabitants were slaughtered, save for a few, who were pitilessly interrogated for information. The last sector to fall was Deathknell, which resisted for a few hours, but also ultimately caved in under the sheer magnitude of the assault. Again, very few survived, save for some stragglers who desperately fled across Tirisfal, only to be cut down by rampaging Alliance soldiers and prowling Worgen.

The slaughter continued throughout the night, and even as dawn rose the next day, the Alliance slew and slew until piles of corpses dotted the entire region. Those few who were captured were lined up outside the ruins of Lordaeron, and systematically killed by Light magic, dying slowly and painfully, their screams met by jeers of derision from the assembled Blood Elf and other Alliance soldiers. Many were killed by setting them on fire as well, watching them burn to ashes being a particularly grim amusement the soldiers watched for.

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><p>Koltira Deathweaver was recovered, wounded, harassed and tired, but alive. The Death Knight Thassarian embraced him and led him away carefully, many of the other Death Knights following. He has since then made a full recovery, and his recounting of his imprisonment in the Undercity, as well as the conditions prevailing within, were of exceptional use in discovering the extent of Forsaken depravity. The full account can be found in the volume "Death's Embrace", present in the Stormwind Library's military section.<p>

Sylvanas Windrunner met an extremely terrible fate, after her capture. To start with, she was flogged brutally by several Worgen, made to watch as the piles of corpses of her Forsaken were burned in front of her, one after the other, subsequently outraged _(a despicable act that caused even the icons of Light carried by many of them to crumble in shame)_, and handed over to the Paladins, who submerged her in Light for almost half a day _(and they halted only because their mana pool had run out)_. As she neared death, her Val'Kyr continuously kept resurrecting her with their sacrifices, allowing the torture to begin again. This went on until the last of her Val'Kyr _(who had been captured by the Gilneans and kept specifically for this macabre purpose)_ were gone. This whole operation took almost four long, terrible days to complete. At the end of it, she was taken to the Maelstrom, where the burning embers of Deathwing still stand, and slain at last by General Crowley. Her lifeless form, which was impaled on a spike on the tallest stone reef in the area, is still there today, surrounded by magical traps so that none may resurrect her.

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><p>Following the fall of Tirisfal, some divisions were sent east to stamp out what remained of the Forsaken in Andorhal, but for the most part, the war had ended in the Eastern Kingdoms. Gone were the dreams of power the Forsaken had schemed to bring to fruit, in a storm of blood, darkness, misery and carnage. However, encouraging signs were visible, as Blood Elves and Humans fraternised with considerable ease, as if there had been no long separation at all. It was a spark of hope, one that never went out. Now, the more difficult task of rebuilding a shattered land began - a task which has still not been concluded. As King Anduin Wrynn remarked after he received the news of the fall of the Undercity -<p>

_"A storm has blown over the Eastern Kingdoms these past few months, and many have fallen before its frigid blast. But it was the Light's own wind, none the less, and a cleaner, brighter, and stronger land now lies in the sunshine, as the storm has passed. Now is the time to make sure that the sun shall shine bright for our homelands, and that it may never set for a long, long time to come, for not just Humans, but for the Dwarves, the Gnomes and the Blood Elves and High Elves as well. Let this dawn be the brightest this World has ever known."_

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><p><strong><em>And that ends the War in the Eastern Kingdoms. Don't worry, I'll cover the aftermath in the epilogue to this story. Do send in your suggestinos of what you would like to see happen in the aftermath of the War, and I'll add it to the epilogue. After all, there's a whole new world out there for the Alliance to build up!<br>_**

_**If you want more detail in this chapter, send in the essentials of what you'd want to see, and I'll add that (with embellishments, naturally) to the chapter. So, let's see those imaginations work, good people. :)**  
><em>


	15. Part VII Chapter 2

_**Sorry about the really long delay on this one...I blame DoTA2. Just got my beta key, and was hooked on it like cocaine for junkies. xD  
>If any of you play it, do let me know!<strong>_

_**Anyhow, here's the first of the last three chapters for this Fic. I want to say thanks to all those individuals who have read this, faved, subbed and singled out this fic for reading. It has been a great honour, dear ladies and gentlemen.**_

_**Following this fic is a series of snapshots of soldiers who fought in this war - an eyewitness account of the fighting on ground in key battles, so to speak. If any of you want to see your characters personified in the War, I'll be more than happy to sew them in.  
><strong>_

_**Now that's that. Happy reading!  
><strong>_

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><p><strong>Part VII <strong>

**Chapter 2 - Retribution**

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><p><em>"Of all the enemies of mortals, none are more dangerous than the enemies within." - Xavius<em>

The last lunge against the Horde opened up on the morning of the first day of Week Fifteen. Three Night Elven divisions struck hard against the weak defensive barricade at the Southfury River redoubt and cleared it in under an hour. Following this, a second strike hit out towards Razor Hill, which - rather unsurprisingly - fell with little resistance, the population having fled the town not a few days ago. However, the remaining Orcish and Trollish forces put up a stubborn fight, despite being wholly outnumbered. While no doubt courageous, it was ultimately futile, since the numbers of Night Elven troops was alone too high for them to have stood their ground against.

There was some impressive use of terrain by the Horde forces, which slowed the advance to some extent of Army Group Shuriken. Another front was opened up at the Eastern Gates of Orgrimmar by Army Group South, but the Trolls guarding the bridge successfully held them off from entering the city, since only a small number of men could fight on the bridge, it was fairly easy to bottleneck them into a kill zone, while Troll archers sniped at them from the walls and towers overlooking the Gate. Unable to advance, the assault petered out after twelve hours of bitter fighting, in which more Alliance troops were killed than Horde in a ratio of almost five-to-one. It was clear that it was going to be an extremely bloody affair to take Orgrimmar.

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><p>Army Group Shuriken made relatively better progress, going so far as to split it's force into three parts. The first section secured the Valley of Trials in southern Durotar after two days of bitter fighting, successfully pushing the Trolls out of Sen'Jin Village and into the Darkspear Atoll. The second section, comprising mostly Glaive Divisions, hurled itself at the main gate of Orgrimmar, where a brutal and tenacious holding action was being overseen by Overlord Krom'Gar, who had returned from Stonetalon Mountains to organise the Horde defence. His success in doing so can be seen in the fact that even with the overwhelming siege ordnance being thrown at the walls, there was no significant crease in the defence. But there were casualties nonetheless, and many of his men were wounded very badly. The fact that they still were kept on the line to fight indicates how desperate the situation really was for the Horde at that moment.<p>

The third section was tasked with retaking the Bladefist Port, so as to secure the Horde's last naval base. However, this was to prove impossible. For the Troll Destroyers, returning from Westfall with Vol'Jin and his troops, landed in the Bay on the very night before the assault was to commence. The Night Elves were also held up due to the inhospitable terrain and the swampy region around the Southfury Watershed, which greatly slowed their advance, and allowed the Troll forces of Force Daggertail to adequately prepare to welcome the Night Elves. For Vol'Jin, it must have indeed been a dreadful moment to see smoke rising into Durotar's skies, confirming his worst fears about the situation in Kalimdor. It is remarkable thus, that he kept his mind relatively focused on breaking the Siege on the main Gate so that he and his men could reinforce the already desperate Orgrimmar defenders.

When the third section actually began their assault on Bladefist Port on the third day of the Fifteenth Week, Vol'Jin and his men were ready, having been warned by scouts and Wyvern-riders of the situation. Facing three Night Elven divisions of Infantry were Troll Forces numbering roughly four Divisions in number - ready to face the Night Elves head on. The Night Elves, unaware of the Troll landings, blundered into carefully laid defiles along the port and were enmeshed in bitter fighting with the Trolls almost immediately upon arrival. The suddenness of the fighting, as well as the ferocity of the Troll forces, proved to be more than enough to push the Night Elves back and the third section retreated to the entry-cleft near Thunder Ridge, licking its wounds. They had lost some 2,000 troops in that one day alone, thanks to the Trolls. Vol'Jin subsequently proceeded to do a rearguard action upon the Second section of Army Group Shuriken, forcing a breach and enabling his weary men to enter the city, and many to shore up the defence at the Gates.

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><p>The success of the Trolls enraged General Feathermoon to no end, since she knew that any form of morale boost to the Horde at this point could prove dangerous. And she very likely would have carried out an assault plan, had not the Orgrim's Hammer arrived in the skies above Durotar on the fourth day of the Fifteenth Week. Its arrival was sufficiently deterrent to Army Group Shuriken to temporarily withdraw to Razor Hill and plan another assault. However, this was not done in isolation. Knowing full well that the Orcs could attempt a breakout if they retreated, General Feathermoon urged Lady Proudmoore to bring up her machines for aerial bombardment of Orgrimmar's Gates, so as to keep the Orcs suppressed. Fortunately, this was done relatively quickly, and the Orcs were forced to endure night bombing for the rest of the campaign, effectively halting their plans to advance out of Orgrimmar and push the Alliance a respectable distance away.<p>

However, the Alliance was impatient. Casualties were roughly 7,000 after four days of vicious fighting in Durotar. Most had been lost in the fruitless siege of the main gates and the debacle at the Bladefist Port. It became clear that if the advance was to continue, the Orgrim's hammer had to go. The gunship was simply too big a threat to ignore as such, and its continual presence above the city was a menace to any operation.

How to do so was the question, since the gunship was a formidable opponent in every scenario. The only reasonable counter was the Alliance gunship Skybreaker, but the time it would take for it to arrive in Durotar was too much, and potentially risky, since the Horde would get that much time to reinforce themselves into the city. Eventually, a hair raising plan was decided upon, one that was so mad in its conception that it had originally been considered as merely a hypothetical idea, but was now being implemented. It involved flying a massive clutch of Druids onto the flying battle barge, while the Alliance Air Force kept the gunners busy, and then to effect a takeover and sabotaged crash of the vessel into the gates of Orgrimmar. Hopefully, it was assumed, the force of the explosion would be enough to weaken the walls sufficiently for their Glaive Throwers and Siege Engines to break open the walls and allow Alliance troops within the city. As this was happening, the Druids were to leave the vessel by flight as a means of extraction.

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><p>As this was being drawn up, the Night Elven Navy sailed around from Azshara, and opened up upon Bladefist Port, where the Troll Destroyers were moored, dead in the water. The destruction of the harbour was so complete that there was little left standing after the bombardment save for a few wood splinters sticking forlornly out of the sand spit near the harbour, where the observation tower had once been. The destroyers were sunk, ending the last vestiges of the Horde Navy. Following this, the Night Elven Navy sailed around toward the Darkspear Atoll, and blockaded the islands, though with considerable trouble, since the waters around were shallow and the Trolls, even in their stranded state, threw up considerable defiance at them from the shoreline of their islands. Retaliatory fire on the Trolls had very limited success, due to the dense vegetation of the islands offering cover to the Troll forces. The standoff would continue until the end of the campaign.<p>

* * *

><p>As all this was being brought about outside, within Orgrimmar trouble brewed up as well. Food was running low, with the refugees and the wounded everywhere, pestilence was also spreading, and to add to it all, political intrigue. By now, the Warchief was merely being tolerated - a quietly accepted fact - and it was Lord Saurfang who had actual control of the restive city. Warchief Hellscream now saw only a few individuals a day, and seldom alone - the exceptions being Eitrigg and Saurfang. Up to that point, relations had been relatively stable. Now, with their world unravelling around them, tensions flew high and only Eitrigg and Saurfang kept a semblance of mental calm. The stability was rudely blown apart when Vol'Jin returned. It didn't take long for him to realise the situation and it's futility for the Horde. It was enough to enrage him beyond all reasonable limits. For not only was it a personal matter, but it was the matter of Orgrimmar itself - a city built with the blood, sweat and toil of countless Orcs and Trolls who had hoped, at long last, to have a home after the humiliating stay in the human Internment Camps; a City that Thrall had fought so hard to protect and nourish, and for which so many lives, Horde and otherwise, had been lost. All run to the ground - all because of Hellscream, or so he thought it out.<p>

Not surprisingly, his meeting with Warchief Hellscream was less than pleasant, and from Lord Saurfang's account, it was just a few inches away from an ugly fistfight. Vol'Jin contemptuously dismissed Garrosh Hellscream's arguments about defensive theory and his immediate plan to salvage the situation. Warchief Hellscream taunted and derided Vol'Jin for his failures in the Eastern Kingdoms, terming the battle between him and Wrynn as nothing more than "a loser's bout". It was only the presence of Eitrigg that prevented any outright fighting, as both men had to be dragged away from each other, each yelling insults at the other, waving their weapons futilely as they were pulled apart by ashen-faced Kor'Kron. When the news leaked out, it further demoralised the Horde garrison in the city, who saw it as portents of doom. The Shadow Hunter, however, would not forgive the slight, and this was to be the deciding factor in the days to come.

* * *

><p>However, the Alliance was unable to launch an assault for the remainder of the week, since they were building up logistics and securing the surrounding area for the Gunship problem. However, they did not let up the pressure on the Horde garrison, which in itself was a daunting task, considering the city's fortifications. Fortunately, the Alliance managed to keep it's casualties to a minimum. On the very last day of the Fifteenth Week, the Horde and the Alliance heard of the end of the War in the Eastern Kingdoms with the annihilation of the Undercity and the defection of the Blood Elves.<p>

The Horde reaction was muted, since there was really nothing they could do about it, though it did bring about a numbed shock through most of them as they heard of what had transpired - treachery and annihilation seemed to follow them like doom stalking their heels. They were not particularly upset over the death of the Dark Lady, since she had been hated for quite some time, but the Blood Elven treachery cut them deeply, and even today, many Orcs still refuse to tolerate any Quel'Thelas citizens, going so far as to insult and sometimes physically attack them on sight. The Alliance reaction was jubilation, though the Night Elves were wary of Blood Elven allegiance. It seemed that victory was nigh, and it resulted in the erosion of all further objections to the Gunship Plan.

* * *

><p>On the second day of the Sixteenth - and last week - of the War, the Alliance launched its final assault. The Stormcrows came through in the dead of the night, and stealthily landed upon the Gunship. As dawn broke, the Gunship was engaged in one of the most intense and ferocious battles as yet fought in the War, with the Alliance Air Force swarming the area, to keep the ground troops cowed and the Gunship crew distracted, while the Druids slunk into the engine-rooms of the Gunship. As the sun rose, there was a small explosion on the right rudder of the Gunship, followed by a series of detonations along the entire length of the Orgrim's Hammer, following which the Gunship veered about on the spot crazily, the troops below - Alliance and Horde alike watching in stunned horror - as the Gunship finally slammed into the walls of the Main Gate of Orgrimmar, caving it in. Just a few moments before it crashed, a massive flock of Stormcrows flew out of the Gunship, the lead Stromcrow having very distinctive green-and-silver markings, that of Archdruid Stormrage himself.<p>

For a few minutes, the noise and confusion of the battle stilled, as the shock wore away from all the combatants assembled. Then, with a tremulous war cry, the Alliance forces rushed the Walls, the cry of _"Forward! Into the Breach!"_ being repeated endlessly. The Orcs, now at the very edge of desperation, fought in a crazed frenzy, their Troll allies going into their berserk fury, as they vainly attempted to stem the seemingly endless flow of Alliance troops into Orgrimmar. The fighting rose to a crescendo and by midday, nearly every sector of the once-impregnable city was being fiercely contested, the most intense and blood-soaked fighting transpiring in the square before Grommash Hall.

And at the very peak of midday, the Warchief strode out, a grim and set expression on his face, mingled with a resigned fatalism, and he flung himself into the fray, killing his way through hundreds of soldiers. But even as he despatched the last soldier his blade would ever cut into, a Troll Javelin, hurtling through the fray, seemingly guided by the winds itself, came through the air and buried itself deep into the Warchief chest, protruding out on the other side, so mightily was it cast in its owner's anger. As he fell to his knees, the fighting died down in the square, an almost reverent silence to mark the fall of one of the most ferocious warriors Azeroth has ever known. As Lord Saurfang came to him, some life was still left in the Warchief, as he whispered the question to him:-

"_The spear...it is of the Shadow Hunter's, is it not?_"

To which Lord Saurfang answered - "_With it, his prophecy has come true. Lok'Tar Ogar, son of Hellscream. Go in peace. Your days are gone, your time sped past._" As he said this, the Warchief's face seemed to relax as his eyes finally drooped shut.

There was nothing more to be said, Lord Saurfang wordlessly stared around at those assembled, and gave his final order for them to stand down and drop their weapons, for "_it has ended...for now._"

* * *

><p>And in this way, the Fourth War drew to a close. As a mark of this, in the evening, a Night Elven archer rather appropriately named Serene Spiritmight climbed to the top of Orgrimmar's tallest guard tower. Fitting an arrow to her Bow, she loosed off a Flare arrow into the skies of Durotar. It went straight and true, high into the sky, over the muddied, bloody fields of Azeroth which had seen the poverty, the painful lessons, the triumphs and disasters and the times of superiority of countless, nameless fighters of all hues of Azeroth, and eventually whistled to the ground, embedding itself into the soft earth as the White Lady rose over the horizon, signalling in a way, the end of an era.<p>

And as the fragments of the arrow and the earth rolled away, all was quiet. It was over - at long last.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Well, let's hear it. Liked the ending? Disliked it? Want some changes? The text-box below is open for you to answer that. :)<strong>_

_**I honestly think I didn't do much of a job on this one. So tell me if there's something I can put in for improvement, should you see any place where it is desirable.  
><strong>_

_**The Epilogue will be up shortly. Unlike this one, the dealy should be a day, or two at the most. That will be followed up by the real-life inspirations I had for the battles in the story, as well as a set of references (wholly imaginary, naturally) used by the scribe of this Work.  
><strong>_


	16. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

><p>For over a year, the burning embers of the War smouldered in Orgrimmar and northern Lordaeron. A hot summer followed the surrender, and plagues of flies multiplied in the stricken lands, breeding upon the corpses of man and beast alike. Rats and Lice spread disease, food was not plentiful, even in Alliance territory, though as some small relief the Alliance armies showed no more callous brutality toward the defeated ones. Then came the autumn, and that terrible season brought about gloom and lengthening darkness upon the whole civilian population as supplies ran short across Azeroth. How many died in that first winter of peace shall never be known.<p>

Chiefly, it was the few remaining Forsaken who suffered. They were rounded up from all over Azeroth and Outland, often beaten up mercilessly, and then kept in solitary confinement. The Argent Crusade did make an attempt to ensure a fair trial, and as such, the Hearthglen Trials were carried out for all Horde officers accused of War Crimes - of which a large number of the accused were undoubtedly Forsaken. Many were found guilty, and were executed or were found dead, having committed suicide upon hearing the verdict. A somewhat sensationalist, but essentially true, account of the trials can be read up in the text "_Judgement at Hearthglen_" by Daria L'Rayne.

* * *

><p>For much of northern Lordaeron, the situation was quite bad. The land was ravaged very badly, first by the Plague, then by the Forsaken, and now by the War. The Cenarion Circle had, and still has, its work cut out for them as they attempt to heal the land of its fatal corruption. However, encouraging signs are visible as the Western Plaguelands has healed completely and is suitable for habitation, going so far as to shed the title "<em>Plaguelands<em>" and retake it's old name of Central Provinces. A fledgling government of New Lordaeron now rules from Andorhal, and a steady rebuilding is in progress. The Eastern Plaguelands too is healing fully, Stratholme's burning fires quenched at last by continuous effort from the Earthen Ring and the Cenarion Circle, and the city is slowly being rebuilt, even as the last few Scourge are being pushed into oblivion. Silverpine is recovering as well, though much more slowly, due to extensive fire damage, but the Gilneans themselves have shown considerable zeal in its repair. Hillsbrad will take some time, however, due to the unpredictable nature of the new Plague.

However, the real upheavals are more political than natural. A few months after the War ended, northern Lordaeron was parcelled out into separate administrative zones, which were to grow into kingdoms. The Arathi Highlands was handed over to the League of Arathor, who now are rebuilding Stromgarde as their capital, and were also given Hillsbrad as added territory. A provisional government of New Lordaeron was formed, with its temporary quarters at Andorhal, while the damage to Tirisfal Glades is being repaired. It comprises the Central Provinces as well as Tirisfal in its borders. The Gilneans were given Silverpine Forest, which was enough for them since it was all they could do to maintain and repair two land zones at once.

* * *

><p>The Alterac Mountains were deliberately left neutral, since there was by now a prevailing belief that the mountains were accursed under human rule, since so many tragedies had befallen it there. Accordingly, the Wildhammers took Strahnbrad, but the Frostwolves, in an apparent attempt at reconciliation, were given the Alterac Valley and Alterac Keep as their own. To this day, they still control it, keeping a neutral front to all nations. The Stormpikes keep constant vigilance from Strahnbrad, however, as they have never forgiven the Frostwolves and in all probability never will. But the matter of it being the Clan of Thrall probably gives them pause for any outright offensive manoeuvres. Drek'Thar the Shaman passed away a week after the War ended, and the Frostwolves were temporarily ruled by Captain Galvanger, until the Earthmender himslef came and took control of his father's Clan, and made it a neutral force on Azeroth along the lines of the Earthen Ring.<p>

* * *

><p>Silvermoon City was fully rebuilt, though the signs of strain are still visible. The High Elves control the new quarter, built along Dawning Street, while the Blood Elves rule Old Silvermoon. While the relations between the two kinds is not as cordial as it should have been, there is some progress, as both keep building a new legacy around the restored Sunwell, the Shattered Sun being the chief mediators in the fray. Mistrust is still a huge blockade and the Humans in particular, despite King Anduin's reassurances still do not fully trust the Blood Elves. As for the Darnassian government, there is still a distinct chill in relations, not just with Quel'Thelas, but with much of the Alliance in general, since they have not forgotten the events of the Sundering, and in all probability it will remain a sticking point in future relations. Efforts are underway, however, to rectify all of this, no matter how slowly it progresses.<p>

* * *

><p>The Tauren have paid quite dearly for their allegiance to the Horde. Many times since the War ended, Chieftain Baine Bloodhoof has been criticised for not reining in the late Warchief from his destructive path, though this sentiment is as unfair as any. There was little choice the Tauren had, and indeed, they are to be commended for their courage in seeing it through to the end, and standing up where it counted. However, much like pre-war Gilneas, Mulgore is now a sealed land, and the Tauren as such seldom allow visitors to enter, much less allow their own to leave. Their isolationist policies are often a matter of considerable debate, especially within the Cenarion Circle, but considering the storm they have weathered, it is unlikely there will be any significant change in their policies for some time to come.<p>

* * *

><p>Vol'Jin and his Darkspears were surprisingly well treated, considering that it was the Shadow hunter who killed King Varian Wrynn. To some extent, it is possible that his intentional killing of the late Hellscream may have prompted the Alliance to take a softer view on his tribe and him in general. While he himself has maintained a fairly distant attitude toward the Alliance, he has managed to keep the Darkspear Isles under his control, and even engage in some limited trade with other Alliance nations, barring all Elven ships, since by now the Darkspear Trolls have developed a viral hate of all Elves - especially the Blood Elves - whom they now attack on sight, despite protesting bleats from every corner of Azeroth. They have not softened their stance, and it is unlikely they will for a long time to come, considering that the War is not so long in the past. The Shadow Hunter was, however, stripped of the Dual Swords he had taken from the late King's corpse, and for once he was unable to really do much about it. Those swords today are wielded by the young King himself, though it is quite obvious to all that it is more of a token gesture than anything else.<p>

* * *

><p>Stormwind itself was left quite weakened after the War, financially and to a somewhat lesser extent, politically. Most of its armies were quite worn out, though they did keep admirable control. The damage to Westfall, Duskwood and Elwynn Forest however, is still being repaired, and food production is much lower than pre-war levels. Things are improving, but quite slowly, and in the meantime, there are fears that another Defias-like insurgency could potentially wreck the kingdom. Fortunately, the House of Nobles now no longer exists, which has resulted in faster processing of government orders, though the amount of control wielded by the King is still a matter of debate, since many feel that it may be too much power for a mere boy to wield. He does have capable advisors within the city to offset the fears to some extent. The future will show how capable the young King truly is, and by all accounts, it seems likely that his reign shall be a most enlightened one.<p>

* * *

><p>There is a saying - Nothing ever changes in the cities of Stone. And indeed, there is little that has changed in Ironforge. However, the retaking of Grim Batol and the readmission of the Dark Irons into the Council of the Three Hammers has resulted in the kingdoms of the Dwarves becoming much stronger than in the past, for the combined control of the three city-states extends over all of Khaz Modan. Gnomeregan is also being rebuilt, the last of its Trogg population being exterminated by the Gnomish Military, which received an unexpected resurgence after the War. There is now a new consciousness among the dwellers of Khaz Modan that the future of their people is once again, truly under their control, to mould as is their will rather than at the capricious whims of fate as it was for the past two centuries.<p>

* * *

><p>For the Orcs, it has been a time of great upheaval. Durotar remained under Occupation for some time, while pacification efforts were carried out. Lord Varok Saurfang, along with Advisor Eitrigg, took command of what was left of the orcish nation, and formally surrendered to the Alliance forces under General Shandris Feathermoon. After a few weeks, and after considerable deliberations <em>(which did include Lord Saurfang, but in a very limited role)<em> a peace treaty was signed. This was not the original intention of the Night Elves, and especially not of the Draenei, who had been spoiling for a bloodbath.

But the personal request of the Earthmender can be hard to decline, to the extent that Thrall went as far as to say that the Alliance could do what they liked with him personally, but to stop the slaughter of his people. It was, fortunately, to not come to such dire conditions and eventually, an accord was signed, the venue for it being Theramore _(a full copy of this can be found in public libraries all major cities on Azeroth)_. Called the Theramore Concordat, it had the following important declarations,

- The Orcs, as a people, renounce the ways of conflict for as long as this treaty is enforced, and as such shall not take steps to form a military force with offensive capabilities in any form.  
>- The Orcs, as a people, submit to Alliance jurisdiction and rulings whenever issued, insofar as they shall not be compelled to actions unjustifiable in the word of law.<br>- The Orcs, as a people, agree to not possess armaments, nor wear armaments in public view, save for the purpose of self-defence and hunting for provisioning.  
>- The Orcs, as a nation, hereby declare themselves neutral to all political formations on Azeroth, and shall not form any treaty, agreement or alliance of a political of military nature, save for the defence of their homeland.<br>- The Orcs, as a nation, hereby outlaw the practice, in any form, of Shadow magic, and complete intolerance to any who would attempt to follow this paths.  
>- The Orcs, as a nation, hereby outlaw the Warsong Clan, and all its members, associates and affiliated groups, to not set foot upon Durotar or within Orgrimmar upon the pain of death.<br>- The Orcs, as a race, shall no longer elect Warchiefs or any other equivalent office of power.  
>- The Orcs, as a race, shall not discriminate against, nor tolerate discrimination, of any other race or faction or political ideology, insofar as it is not detrimental to the safety and wellbeing of the Orc peoples.<br>- The Orcs, as a race, shall never again form the Horde, or any organisation resembling it in any form thereof, nor join any organisation or coalition resembling it.

Most of the terms in the treaty were not contested, since by way of choice, the Orcs had very little. There was initially a clause which insisted the Orcs pay reparations to the Night Elves and Draenei but it was repealed, the consideration being that paying reparations would drive the Orcs into destitution and unimaginable poverty, the costs of which would outweigh the benefits. This was accepted, albeit reluctantly, by the Night Elves and the clause was repealed as such.

The other issues raised were over the prohibition of possession of weaponry and the outlawing of the Warsong Clan. While some leeway was added to the ban of weapons _(namely for hunting and self-defence, along with a registry proof of the same)_, there was no question of repealing or lifting the ban on the Warsong. The widely held opinion amongst the Alliance, and the Draenei in particular, was that the crimes of the Warsong had been ignored for far too long. The Draenei especially were unwilling to relent, with Vindicator Kuros, the chief of the Draenei military, stating that to not do so would be to sanction the "_murderous frenzy of a debased and barbarous group of individuals, whose depravity was almost as bad as that of the Twilight Hammer_".

With virtually unanimous support for the ban, the Orcs reluctantly accepted the verdict. The result was the expulsion of 12,000 Orcs _(this figure includes the families as well)_ from Orgrimmar. In a rather vindictive form of vengeance, they were handed over to the Draenei, who promptly executed all the males of the clan above the age of an adult, and marched the rest through the Dark Portal, where they were finally released in Nagrand. By the time they were allowed to leave, less than 7,000 individuals of the clan were left. Their eventual fate is unrecorded. When Vindicator Kuros was criticised for his heavy-handed dealing of the Warsong, he retorted with the following statement _**"I want you to stand in the ashes of a billion dead souls, their spirits screaming for vengeance against those who betrayed their trust, and then try to show mercy when you have the traitors in your grasp!"**_ Needless to say, there was quite a bit of unpleasantness over it, which was smoothed over with considerable difficulty.

* * *

><p>Orgrimmar has stabilised since then, with little in the way of military expenditure, their prosperity has grown significantly. Lord Saurfang ruled for some time after the treaty was signed, under the mantle of High Chief (<em>the Warchief title being declared as outlawed and obsolete<em>), until his death from old age. It is a sign of how highly esteemed he was by all manner of peoples on Azeroth, when on the next day after his death, all the nations of Azeroth flew their pennants at half-mast as a sign of respect for one of the most courageous mortals this world has ever known, and also by the massive turnout at his funeral, which was attended by every race on Azeroth, so much so that Durotar was one thick mass of people, who watched as the elder Saurfang burned away on his funeral pyre. High Chieftain Cromush now rules Orgrimmar, and he has been significantly effective in the restoration of his battered people.

But even as all this, and more, takes place across Azeroth, there is constant vigilance. For the threats to Azeroth's safety are far from gone. The Legion still stalks the nether, remnants of the fanatical Twilight Hammer still roam the world, and a new race of white-and-black ursine beings has just been discovered in the south. But this time, this world is now united to face them, free from factional infighting. How much shall be achieved in this new era is yet to be seen, though the prospects, for the first time in almost a century, are very promising.

* * *

><p><strong>END<strong>


	17. References

**References**

* * *

><p>= A History of the Stormpike Guard - Captain Belinda Stonehearth<p>

= Twilight Banished - Keegan Firebeard

= SI:7 - A History - Matthias Shaw

= Daggertail: The Human-Trollish Front - Scribe Mehlumis

= Take Aim! - Colonel Thurim Stonehammer, MVFC

= The last days of Sylvanas Windrunner - Neriah Dawnchaser

= The Horde Command debrief - Nu'ura Swiftarrow

= The True Elves - High Druid Dormir

= The Long Sleep - an account of the Ebon Blade - Koltira Deathweaver

= Death's Embrace - Koltira Deathweaver

= Memoirs of a Shaman - Drek'Thar of the Frostwolves and Muln Earthfury

= The Great Ride: A history of the Centaurs - Brann Bronzebeard

= Explorer's League Handbook - Brann Bronzebeard

= The reign of Hellscream - Advisor Eitrigg

= Arcanology: A history of Dalaran - Archmage Modera and Archmage Ansirem Runeweaver

= An adventurer's guide to Azeroth - Author Unknown (goes by alias of "Own You So Hard")

= Breakout from Tol Barad - Commander Marcus Johnson

= Overseer: From the planner's perspective - Darius Crowley

= Wild, Wild, Wildhammer Days - Kurdran Wildhammer

= Judgement at Hearthglen - Daria L'Rayne

= A Wasted Deal: The story of the Bilgewater Cartel - Trade Princess Mida

= A History of Quel'Thelas - Magister Antheol

= The Forsaken: an illustrated history - Magistrix Erona

= For the Horde! - Captain Galvanger

= The Horde: A modern history - Thrall the Earthmender

= A History of the Frostwolf Clan - Captain Galvanger

= Alliance military dossiers, Stormwind Library, Stormwind Keep

= Horde military dossiers, Orgrimmar Archives, Cleft of Shadows

**Author:** Scribe Mehlumis  
>Edited by Harrison Jones and Brann Bronzebeard<p>

_**Scribe's Note:**_  
>My thanks to all those individuals who gave their inputs for this piece of literature. With it, I hope to present a clear picture of a War described in several journals in a more comprehensive manner. All omissions are mine to bear, all submissions are of the contributor's merit and not my own. My thanks also to his highness, King Anduin Wrynn, for his valuable inputs on the politics of the War. Also a vote of thanks to Valeera Sanguinar for her information on the Blood Elves and their culture and history in general.<p>

My thanks also to the several warriors whom I conversed with to gather information on the state of the battlefield, their emotions and their outlook on the conflict. Your sacrifices, as well as those of your comrades, will never be forgotten.

I also thank the Explorer's League and the Relinquary for their efforts in my inquiries on several obscure sections of Azeroth and the events outlined in this work.

Also, a quiet thank you to the nameless and faceless Forsaken who provided me with the material on which I constructed the vantage point of Nathanos Blightcaller and his Dark Rangers. While the rest of Azeroth may not see you as friendly, you have my respect for your tenacity and courage. Fare you well, brave ones.


	18. Real Life Events used as Basis

_I feel like an awful idiot. I was searching through my PC when I found this little file. I had meant to upload it, but forgot completely. But better late than never, I guess._

* * *

><p><strong>Real Life Inspirations for certain Events during "The Fall of the Horde"<strong>

**Initial Horde assault parameters** - Operation Barbarossa (June 1941)  
><strong>Battles in the Arathi Highlands and the Wetlands<strong> - Great Retreat from Mons, Action at Nery (September 1914)  
><strong>Battles of Loch Modan and Dun Morogh<strong> - German winter offensive (1942-1943), Charge of the Light Brigade (incident in the Battle of Balaclava, October 1854)  
><strong>Force Daggertail and Battle for Stormwind<strong> - Siege of Kyoto (June 1582)  
><strong>Battles of Darkshore<strong> - Battle of Okehazama (June 1560)  
><strong>Darnassus Gun<strong> - Paris Gun (Deployed in 1917)  
><strong>Battles of Ashenvale<strong> - Battle of Polygon Wood (September-October 1917)  
><strong>Dalaran Civil War<strong> - Operation Hummingbird (AKA Night of the Long Knives, June-July 1934)  
><strong>Battle for Azshara<strong> - Siege of Kamakura (May 1333)  
><strong>Battle of Tol Barad<strong> - Extracts from several operations during the Pacific Campaign (1942-1945)  
><strong>Operation Overseer<strong> - Operation Overlord (AKA D-Day, 1944)  
><strong>Battle of Silverpine Forest and the Undercity<strong> - Battle of the Seelow Heights (April-May 1945), Battle of Berlin (April-May 1945)


End file.
